The Moon, the Earth, and the Underworld
by Lambda38
Summary: Richter Braun hadn't logged into YGGDRASIL for more than a year, having lost interest in the game. An email from his old Guild Leader informing him of it's shutdown, as well as a call from another Guildmate, prompts him to return to his old roll, and see Momonga one final time.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Welcome, one and all to my newest story. I am writing this alongside RadiTheCrusader. Nice dude, you should go give his stories a read. Anyways, this little idea came from me as a baseline, Radi has helped with filling in over the skeleton I provided, but providing said skeleton is why this is under my name rather than his.(also because he has our other collaborative fic on his profile, but that's neither here nor there). Hope you enjoy, and please do give as much feedback as you feel warranted. Flaming, while not banned, will not be appreciated. Have a pleasant day. -Lambda38

_As Lambda has said, do leave a review. Warning though, we may have gotten some bits of lore wrong as we have kinda meshed parts of the anime and the manga together, but not the light novel, cuz neither of us has the time for that frankly. And a lot of information has been looked up on the wiki of Overlord, so if we have gotten something wrong, which I do not doubt we have, leave a review saying what it is, and try not to scream like a 5 year old because we didn't describe Momo's left eye correctly or some shit like that.  
\- RadiTheCrusader_

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**Chapter One: This is Boris' fault, Ain't It?**

* * *

"Ach, mein Gott," a man says as he walks through the door of his house, the toxic atmosphere being purged for fresh oxygen, tearing off his oxygen mask and hanging it and its pack on the wall next to him. "Why are we even bothering to motor along at this fucking point?" He moves through the entryway to the sealed inside door and proceeds inside his house proper.

As he tugs at his tie, he glances through his emails on his phone for the first time in days, raising an eyebrow as he spots one from an old friend living half a world away.

"Suzuki Satoru, what could you need this time?" He mumbles as he opens it, finally getting his tie off. He tosses it onto his kitchen counter and begins reading.

**'Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time since most of you logged onto YGGDRASIL, but on the eve of its shutdown, I thought I'd send out a message to see if any of you wanted to come and spend the last night hanging out and reminiscing about the good old days. Please let me know if you can or cannot. I hope to see all of you soon. -Your Guild Leader, Momonga.**

The man snorts at the signature, before looking up the shutdown of YGGDRASIL to find it scheduled for that very night.

_Always so into the role, Satoru, _he thinks as he closes his phone and opens his fridge. _In any event, I don't know if I want to do that, I've got work in the morning and it isn't going to be any easier with less sleep, even if the pay is great._

A moment after he grabs a can of synthesized milk, his phone begins blaring. He glances over to see a familiar name and accepts the call before putting it on speaker and laying it on the counter as he reaches for a mug.

"Boris you bald bastard, what've you been up to?" He calls as he pours his drink.

"Who are you calling bald you German bastard? You barely have a hint of body hair on ya!" came back a deep voice with a distinct Russian accent. "Hahaa! I have been good my friend, finally managed to get back home after the last photo shoot in France. Thought I'd give you a call. How have you been Richter?" The man scoffs as he drinks his beverage.

"Who'd you photo this time, the cunt with a hairy chest or the deer with the seven legs? Honestly, who around these places even looks at pictures, and how the fuck do you afford a better place than me?" Richter complains, returning the can to the fridge. "But I've been alright, back's fucking killing me from all the lifting the boss lady makes me do which I feel the need to point out is not a part of my contract."

"You are just as dense about women as the day we met, HA! You are either the strongest man in your company, and unless you have been hitting the gym that would be a surprise, OR she wants to see ya in your hairless glory!" laughs the Russian. "And I make better pay, because 'influencers' and 'models' are so full of themselves they pay a fucking fortune for a picture. Granted I am an amazing photographer, but still. Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, did you get an email from Satoru any time recently?"

"Oh god spare me the horrifying images, don't you remember what a fucking whale she is from that Christmas photoshoot I swindled out of ya?" The German shakes his head and sighs in dismay. "Anyways, yeah, I did get an email from him. Was thinking about just sleeping in."

"Thank you for the fond memory другар. I must have managed to get it out of my head with a few bottles of vodka, but here you come bringing it back… сукааа," curses Boris. "Anyway, I was actually thinking of logging in for one last time. I haven't been able to play anything these past few months and an itch is starting to bug me. Not to mention playing with my bestest mate, even if he is a bastard."

"Bestest mate? Stick to Russian, mate, I think you'll find it easier to not speak slang," the man retorts. "But if you do want to log in, I suppose I could deal with saying a final goodbye to Sei and Bol."

"Very funny. Alright then, I'll see you in-game," says Boris as he hangs up.

Richter chuckles as he finishes his milk, before chucking his mug in the sink. After a light stretch, he runs his eyes and makes his way to his game room. He enters and ignores the various consoles in favour of his dive gear, slowly attaching all the appropriate bits together. The system slowly comes alive for the first time in nearly a year, and Richter sighs as he removes the cap on the port at the base of his neck, inserting the appropriate plug and donning the helmet.

After a few moments of logos and logging in, he selects the icon for YGGDRASIL, being greeted by the visage of his old avatar.

_Heh, time to be Mörderin one last time, _he thinks as he enters the game.

He looks up at the towering Minotaur before himself as he spawns in, immediately sending out a frowning emoji.

"Ugh, I'm in the presence of filth," Richter comments.

The Minotaur in question, towering over most things in the game, even other minotaurs, is Boris' avatar. It is roughly 11 feet tall, extremely muscular with red-brownish fur that turned slightly orange near the ends of the hands and hooves, while the back has a white stripe going along the spine, the chest lacks fur exposing flesh with a pale complexion. Two massive horns rest on top of the head, which stretch forward and up, and are engraved with the images of different animals, the ends being encased in dark metal, with small spikes protruding forth from the caps. Two massive braids hang behind the tauren's ears, and the beard under the chin is in a smaller braid. While not wearing a top, there are two bracers on his arms, made from some sort of wood with engravings on them. It wears loose leather pants with a rather large belt adorned with different bags and satchels, and two massive axes made of dark iron, both of which bear a bloodstained pattern. On the pants, various symbols can be seen shimmering slightly, a calling card of a spirit shaman. A large smile adorns the Minotaur's frozen face.

Boris puts out a winking emoji with its tongue out.

"Well if it isn't the archangel 'herself'," he says with a laugh.

Richter lets out an unimpressed huff inside his avatar.

His angelic form has long flowing black hair down to its waist, with prismatic eyes lancing through the air, its face set in a stern frown. Vibrant white wings hang from its shoulder blades, sticking out from a set of shimmering white armour over white linen clothing. The angelic form reaches past six feet in height, and with a wreath of roses atop its brow.

"I have a female avatar, we've been over this, you've jacked off to this," he states with a deadpan. "I don't wanna fucking hear a peep outta you."

"Not the only one in the guild, HA!" laughs Boris. "But c'mon let's go to the table, Momo is probably waiting for us." He starts flicking with the teleportation options, then vanishing from sight.

Richter rolls his eyes and uses his guild ring to flash to the meeting room. A moment later, he raises an eyebrow at how only he and Boris are there.

"Strange," Richter says, pulling up his friend list. "Suzuki is still on but he isn't here. Think he's moved to the throne room?" He glances up at his furry companion.

"Mhm," answered Boris looking in the pop-up menu above his hand. "We just missed Herohero leaving, let me text Momo real quick," he says and taps away at the virtual keyboard.

A few seconds later he receives a message. "AH! Yeah, he is in the throne room, probably RP-ing. The bastard does it without us, how dare he!" _*angry emoji*_ After a bit more fiddling with the teleportation menu he teleports to the throne room entrance. Richter teleports after him and grabs him before he can open the gate.

"Wait!" He urges, smiling under his headpiece. "Let me do something first, okay?"

"You got something mischievous planned," says Boris, then a big smile adorns his face. "Go ahead, mate."

A moment of scrolling through his teleportation spots for his Ring, Richter finds an old one he'd placed manually, positioned just behind the throne. He uses it and looks around his new surroundings, well hidden in the shadows of the World Item.

"What, she's a slut?" He hears Suzuki say. "Tabula always did like his gap moe. Normally I wouldn't be able to change it, but since I have this…"

Richter walks around the throne and looks over Suzuki's shoulder, watching as his old friend writes a line into Albedos code. He blinks, unable to believe the blackmail material he now has found in his lap as Suzuki covers his face and giggles.

"I'm such a dork," the man says in an embarrassed tone, making Richter finally lose it.

Peals of laughter erupt from the angel as his form collapses behind the throne, making Suzuki start in shock.

The angel continues howling as the skeleton stands and turns around, stuttering. In the meantime, the doors burst open and a proud Minotaur roars his presence.

"Guess who's back bitches!" the not so subtle yell echoes through the chamber. Noticing the very much pissing in laughter angel and a very confused skeleton trying to talk but stuttering like an old gramophone, Boris makes his way towards the throne. "Oi, what's so funny pigeon feathers?"

"Su-Suzu-," he tries but fails as he continues laughing.

"Oh, u-uh, Ti-Tirdak, Mörderin, I didn't know you'd returned!" Momonga stutters.

"What do you-? You just sent me a message Momo, what do you mean you 'didn't know'?" says Boris as he makes his way up to the throne.

"Is pretend to not know if I was trying to cover up what Suzuki just did!" Richter shouts between his final laughs. The angel lets out another snicker as he looks at Momonga and stands. "Alright, open up the Pleiades for my minor alteration and I'll make sure this doesn't reach anyone's ears!"

He cackles again as Momonga stands in silence. A moment later, seven screens open in front of Momonga and light up red in preparation for change, as the overlord steps aside for his angelic friend, who leaps at the consoles, fingers blitzing through four of them and closing them before either of his companions can read what he wrote.

"What in the fucking name of my camera are you lot doing?" Boris asks, but after not getting a response he raises his voice. "OI, you can't just go fucking with the settings of the NPC's Richter!"

"Oh calm down, I'm only changing their perception of my character, alright? All the flavour text will otherwise be unchanged," Richter says as he closes the last one out. "Besides, you think you can change it all back in the odd ten seconds that remain?" The angel points at the countdown timer, noting mere moments till the end, even as his eyes gaze over the hall in fond recollection. "It, was a lot of fun, being in Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Wait ten seconds?" Boris perks up. "Ah fuck it, never managed to do this in real life, might as well here!" In an instant the minotaur grabs both the angel and the skeleton and pulls them in a massive hug, much to the distaste of one of the two. "I'll see if I can meet you guys IRL in a few months!" He says as the last seconds tick down.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME YOU LUMBERING CARPET!" Richter screams, his hands ineffectually landing on the Minotaur. Momonga for his part merely laughed loudly.

"Yeah," the skeleton muses as the seconds close in. "It was a blast."

For a moment before the end, Richter calms and huffs in annoyance. The group close their eyes for the final moment of a long chapter of life. A moment later when Mörderin feels the hug of a physical being against her body, her automatic response kicks in and her fist meets a massive chin, easily getting her extricated as the person touching her falls back.

She opens her eyes to glare at her intruder only to see a massive furry headed form on the ground before her.

"Was in den Name?" She asks, bewildered as a soft voice rings from her lips.

"О, твоя мама несчастна," the fallen minotaur groans with a deep voice, accent noticeably less apparent.

"Wh-what on earth is going on!" A deep voice rings out next to Mörderin, drawing her gaze.

She opens her mouth to speak to the skeleton next to her when a soft voice speaks up.

"Lord Momonga, Lord Tirdak Thunderhoof, Lady Mörderin, is something the matter?" A feminine voice asks, making all three people freeze before they all turn to face Albedo, who is looking at them in confusion. For a few moments, none speak, even as Tirdak lies on his back in shock. "Lord Momonga, is something the matter?" The succubus gets close to Momonga, flustering him as his jaw falls open, mind racing. "Please tell me, is something wrong?"

Momonga groans for a moment as she continues to worry over him before a soft green light shines around him.

"The GM call function isn't working," the skeleton states. Mörderin tries to stammer a word, before stumbling back as her legs fail.

Before she can hit the ground, she feels two slender arms wrapping around her waist and another pair gripping her arms.

"Yo, big sis, are you alright?" A red-haired maid asks her, concern in her amber eyes, even as Albedo continues addressing Momonga.

Mörderin stares at the two maids next to her, before regaining her feet.

"My apologies, Yuri, Lupusregina," Mörderin says. "I felt quite exhausted all of a sudden."

"Perhaps you should retire to your chambers for rest, milady," Yuri Alpha suggests as Mörderin leaves her grasp. The other Pleiades look on in concern as Sebas attends to Tirdak.

"I should be fine, and Momonga will require my counsel," Mörderin states, falling into her old role with as much poise as possible, glancing away from the six maids she just made her sisters by name. "Thank you for your concern, however. Please, attend to Momonga."

Meanwhile, Sebas reaches Tirdak and extends a hand to him.

"Are you alright, Lord Tirdak?" The butler asks, concerned. "I do not know what overcame Lady Mörderin, but I am sure a direct blow from her could not have been an easy thing to take."

Tirdak, still dazed, takes the butler's hand and gets up, and despite his palm being bigger than Sebas' entire face, the butler manages to help the large minotaur up with relative ease.

"Yes, I'm fine. Though it felt like being punched by an anvil," huffs Tirdak as he looks at Mörderin, massaging his jaw, though visibly confused as his eyes are darting around the room.

"Lady Mörderin is a powerful warrior. Not to say that you are not Lord Tirdak," says Sebas. "Do you require any additional aid, my Lord?"

"No Sebas, but thank you for asking," Tirdak says looking around the room.

"No need to thank me, my Lord, I am simply doing my duty," Sebas replies.

"Sebas," Momonga calls, gathering the attention of everyone present. "I want you to go out and scout the surrounding area. Take one of the Pleiades and scout the area within two kilometres of Nazarick. If you find any sentient life, invite it into the tomb, but if they try to attack, retreat and seal the entrance." Sebas bows and moves to leaves, gesturing for Narberal Gamma to follow him. "The rest of the Pleiades shall take up positions near the entrance of the ninth floor from the eighth." Yuri bows as she and her fellow maids turn to leave.

"Sebas," Mörderin calls out, getting the Butler to stop in the door. "On your way out, stop by Seikatsu and have her send out summons to scout further away from Nazarick under their same engagement orders Momonga has given you."

The dragonoid nods and leaves, the Pleiades exiting swiftly after him as Momonga ponders a deep thought. Mörderin takes a quiet breath as she makes a mental checklist before turning to Albedo.

"Albedo, gather the Floor Guardians aside from Gargantua here as soon as possible," the angel orders the demon, receiving a nod and a subtle glare.

"Wait," Momonga states as Albedo turns to leave.

"Yes, my Lord?" Albedo asks, smiling happily.

"Gather the Guardians except for Gargantua and Victim to the 6th Floor arena, and make certain it is in an hour at the earliest," he orders, the succubus bowing deeply before leaving.

Mörderin tracks Albedos back before the door closes loudly behind her, and orders the shadow assassins out of the throne room, demanding absolute solitude for the trio.

A moment after they leave, she lets out a massive whine, grabbing her head.

"What the fuck is going on?" She asks loudly, starting to hyperventilate as her fingers harshly grasp at her hair.

"Hey, hey Richter, calm down man," Tir says as he tries to stop Mörderin from ripping her hair off. "I am just as fucking confused, but we gotta stay calm."

"Calm? CALM?" Mörderin shouts, stalking up to the Minotaur. "WE'RE IN OUR FUCKING AVATARS! SUZUKI HAS LOST ALL HIS SKIN, YOU'RE A FUCKING WALKING CARPET, AND I'M MISSING MY DICK! GRANTED, THERE ISN'T MUCH TO BE MISSED, BUT IT WAS MINE!" She grabs her breasts and shakes them a moment. "NOW ALL I'VE GOT ARE FUCKING TITS AND A FAIRY CAVE, YOU DICKW-!"

"ENOUGH!" Momonga shouts, cutting Mörderin off before Tirdak could get angry enough to shout. "Panicking will not help us here. Now, we have a little bit of time to think and plan how we react to this. I've been trying to open up my menu or contact anyone outside of this room, but so far I haven't had any luck." He turns his gaze upward to Tir. "Mörderin just violated the sexual misconduct rules, and he is still here, which may be an indicator that this is no longer a game."

"Oh so what, we just magically got transported into our video-game avatars, Momo?" asks Tir with sarcasm. "This ain't an anime mate, there has to be a reason for this."

"I know, Tirdak," Momonga replies. "That's why we need to run more tests. I thought we could test out our skills and magic in the 6th Floor arena, and then if things proceed as I predict they might, the Floor Guardians should come and meet us. Hopefully, they will be willing to be peaceful."

"If they aren't, we can probably hold them off for a few minutes," Mörderin says dryly, hands clenched tightly around the hilts of the two swords on her waist.

"You know, there is this big, no, a massive part of me that doesn't want this to be true. сукаааа. C'mon then let's go do some tests," Boris says. "Wait without the menu's how are we gonna teleport?"

A moment later, Momonga vanishes without a trace, leaving his two guildmates to their fates. Mörderin sighs.

"Look on the bright side," she says miserably. "No polluted air requiring fake lungs or oxygen tanks." And with that, Mörderin vanishes herself.

"Боже, что происходит," The Minotaur mutters, before willing himself to the 6th-floor arena. A few moments later, he finds himself staring at the white wings of his comrade dragging along the ground.

"You doubling for a broom now too pigeon feathers?" Tir asks, though his laugh has a hint of nervousness in it. The glare he receives from Mörderin makes him take a step back as she follows Momonga, despite only being half his size.

The three reach the arena floor, and Momonga looks around for the Guardians.

"Who were the Guardians on this floor again?" Mörderin asks before a grunt is heard and a small blonde Dark Elf wearing a white suit with a red dragon scale undershirt leaps off one of the balconies. "Never mind, I remember them."

The group watches as the girl speeds over, skidding to a stop before Momonga.

"Welcome to our Floor, Lord Momonga, Lady Mörderin, Lord Tirdak," she states with a small bow.

"Thank you, Aura," Momonga says. "My friends and I shall be intruding for a little while. Aura smiles widely at his words.

"Please My Lord, there is not a single person in all of Nazarick who would consider you or any of the Supreme Beings an intruder," the Guardian reassures. Momonga nods, while Mörderin stares at the adorable ball of energy before them.

"By the way, don't you have a brother?" Mörderin asks curiously, not seeing the other twin. Aura freezes before twirling about with a scandalized look of fury on her face.

"MARE! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME BEINGS!" The girl shouts, prompting a head to pop up from the same balcony she'd been on before.

"B-but sis, I'm scared," he whines, giving Mörderin an idea.

"MARE!" Aura shouts, before a fast rush of wind blows past her as the angel behind her takes to the air, easily flying upwards and clumsily making her way to where Mare stands. Upon reaching the balcony, she sets down with a merry laugh, looking at her wings with amazement.

"L-lady Mörderin, I-I'm sorry for making you wait, I-!" Mare begins before he finds himself being gently picked up in a bridal carry by the woman. "EH?!" He turns bright red as the Supreme Being takes flight with him in her arms, swiftly and carefully making her way back to her group, a wide smile on her face.

She sets Mare down next to Aura and turns to both of her Guildmates with a wide grin.

"Flying on your own power is so fucking amazing!" Mörderin exclaims happily, wings fluttering behind her.

"Oh those were wings, I thought you had a couple of feather dusters stuck to your back!" Tirdak says with a rumbling laugh that reverberates through the entire arena even as Mörderin glares at him. "Anyway, Momo, you wanted to test some stuff out, right?"

"Yes," he replies, turning to the Dark Elf twins. "Aura, Mare, is like for you to set up some training dummies for us to use." Momonga taps on the ground with the Guild Weapon, just for a little flair.

"Is that the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown?" Aura asks, completely distracted as her eyes shine alongside her brother. "The staff that only you can wield Lord Momonga?"

"Right." began Momonga, "This is the strongest guild weapon we created together, The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. Each stone in the mouths of the seven crowning snakes is a divine tier artefact. On top of that, the power in the staff itself transcends divine tier. It is on par with any world level item. Its automatic attack system is especially-!" Noticing his rambling, Momonga stops himself with a cough, despite how fascinated both Floor Guardians were with his description. "Well, anyway. That's how it is."

"T-that's so amazing, Lord Momonga!" Both of the elves say.

"Mmmm, yeah, I also enjoy reciting the flavour text of my items Momo," Tir says with a chuckle.

"I would like to run some tests with it," Momonga says, trying to ignore the jab of his guildmate.

"Tests with it?" Mörderin asks, raising a delicate eyebrow. "Would it happen to be a bonafide bone special to males? I didn't know you were into lolis."

"What?" Momonga asks, turning to the angel, aghast at the suggestion.

"Even if he was, kinda doubt he can do anything, being a skelington kinda makes your dick not exist," Tir continues with a laugh.

"But he has all the boners, can't you see Boris?" Mörderin asks, looking away in distaste as Momonga tries to blubber opposition.

"Oooh, he boning all the ladies. Did you see Albedo earlier? He's probably boning her with every rib he has, wonder which one she prefers," muses Tirdak.

"What are you all talking about, my Lords?" Aura asks, tilting her head curiously. Mörderin looks at Aura and then Mare, who looks just as confused, before grabbing onto Tirdaks forearm and dragging him after her.

"Tir, let's go over here and practice some skills!" She practically yells as she bodily drags the Minotaur behind her.

"Damn, Richter didn't know you wanted to show the little ones about the birds and the bees, and in such an open space!" Tirdak says barely controlling his laugh not to escalate.

A moment later he realizes his error as Mörderins foot meets his face and he goes flying off his feet. He groans and shakes his head as he gets up, looking over to see a pissed angel coming at him with both swords at the ready.

"I was having a laugh Rich, no need to get dirty," he says, while pulling out the massive axes on his hips, both about the same length as Mörderin was tall. "But if you wanna rumble we can GO!" he roars as he charges at the angel.

Mörderin lets out a shout as she transforms into her full angel form, losing her legs and the majority of her more human attributes in exchange for a dull brown and green surface as well as growing another three feet, with edges being the points between limbs and her head. She flies at Tirdak and slams a sword into his axe, forcing him back despite his size.

"I'm going to be having lamb soup tonight," Mörderins distorted voice says gleefully, before Tirdaks footing caves beneath him, and her free blade darts in to stab at his chest.

Falling back on to the ground, the angel's blade strikes his chest, but only gets a few inches before hitting a rib. A roar of pain comes forth from the large minotaur who goes for a side strike with one of his axes, trying to force Mörderin off of him.

The angel slides out of the way of his weapon gracefully, darting up into the air and raising her swords high. As Tir gets to his feet, she brings down one blade with a single intonement.

"Manifold Holy Waves."

From her blade emerge a set of bright white swathes of energy, heading directly for Tirdak.

Unable to get up fast enough to dodge, Tirdak braces with both of his axes in front of him. As soon as the energy waves reach him, a blue mist-like shield expands from his pants, absorbing the majority of the damage, with the rest not enough to do any serious injury to the Minotaur.

"Hooo," he says with a smile getting up. "You know I am better with magic than you Mör. Stream of Lava!" He shouts as a green magic circle appears. He slashes through it with his axes, spreading it forth. As soon as the particles disappear, a crack in the ground forms that extends from Tirdak to Mörderin, it opens with a loud hiss and lava shoots up. The angel doesn't move as the lava approaches, and the earth around the lava wave violently erupts, climbing around the spell and surrounding it a moment before it reaches her. A moment later, she darts out of the way as her attempt to contain the spell break and the liquid stone continues beyond.

"Please Tirdak," she comments. "If I was trying to hurt you you'd already be hurt. We're testing shit out as Momonga is forced to give the Talk, you know?" She readies her deep onyx blades. "But I agree, we should stop playing around." She darts around, flying through the sky with increasing speed and skill, Tirdak managing to track her with his eyes.

A moment later, she slams down towards him from above.

"Heavy slash!" She shouts, her blade hitting Tirdaks defences hard enough that the ground beneath his feet cracks. They stare at each other before she says another phrase. "Earthen Wave." A spell glyph appears from the end of her wing, as the ground before the Minotaur rises up and slams into his legs, sending him off of his feet and backwards.

This, unfortunately for Mör, has the side effect of removing her resistance, and she slams headfirst into the ground at full speed, dazing herself.

Getting up with a grunt, Tirdak laughs.

"Looks like you tripped Mör, here let me help! Twine Plant!" He shouts as multiple vines spring forth from the ground and begin entangling the angel.

Mörderin shakes her head and realizes her slight predicament.

"Fire Ball," she utters, incinerating enough of the vines in order to shoot back into the sky, only to be met with a massive axe encroaching on her. She grunts and tries to evade.

As the large axe comes down upon the angel's form, she barely manages to put one of her swords in the way of the massive blade, making it slide down it and veer to the side, cutting into the ground with an annoyed grunt coming from Tir.

Mör goes to capitalize on his defenseless state before a loud cough interrupts her.

"Mörderin, Tirdak, that's enough!" Momonga orders, causing both to freeze. "We are here to test our abilities, not to destroy the arena!"

The two look around to see the floor of the arena partially coated in lava and well scarred from Mörderins skills.

They slowly disengage as the angel reverts to her human form, wings vanishing into her back as her legs and humanity return, sheathing her blades.

"Apologies, Momonga," she says, walking over to him as well as the two Sixth Floor Guardians and Shalltear Bloodfallen, the First, Second, and Third Floor Guardian. "Tirdak has been annoying me today, I wanted to punish him."

"My, my, and what punishment it was," Shalltear comments with a cute smile. "You both put on such a wonderful demonstration."

"I had more fun spells to try out, but party pooper Momo here doesn't like to have fun it seems," Tir says with a smile as he smacks the back of the skeleton, unfortunately with a bit too much force as it causes him to stumble forwards and almost fall.

"You were both getting carried away, we do need to be serious at the moment," Momonga urges, as Cocytus arrives in the coliseum, drawing the Overlords attention. "Cocytus, thank you for coming."

"I Shall Always Come When You Call, Lord Momonga," Cocytus assures, a breath of frost emanating from the Vermin Lord, prompting a nod from Momonga.

"In that case, we should probably call Sebas to report what he's found," Mör comments. "I'll check with Seikatsu tomorrow to see what information her scouts have managed to gather."

"I hope I didn't keep you all waiting," a smooth voice calls from the entryway, drawing all eyes to a demon clad in a red suit with glasses and a metallic tail as well as Albedo.

The Guardians begin to group up before the Guild Members, Momoga standing at the front while Mörderin stands behind him to the right while Tirdak stands to his left.

"My Lords and Lady," Albedo begins as they group kneels. "We, the Guardians, pledge our fidelity."

"Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Floors," Shalltear says, curtsying. "I bow before the Supreme Ones."

"Cocytus, Guardian Of The Fifth Floor," the Vermin Lord announces. "I Bow Before The Supreme Ones."

"Aura Bella Fiora, Guardian of the Sixth Floor," Aura states. "I bow before the Supreme Ones.

"Mare Bello Fiore, also Guardian of the Sixth Floor," Mare says. "I bow before the Supreme Ones."

"Demiurge, Guardian of the Seventh Floor," Demiurge states. "I bow before the Supreme Ones."

"Albedo, Commander of the Guardians," Albedo finishes. "I bow before the Supreme Ones." Mörderin glances over at Momonga as she feels a cold feeling creeping over her and notices that he has activated his _Despair Aura_.

Mentally she shrugs and activates her own _Aura of the Lords Chosen Level 1_, a soft white glow emanating from her form.

"With the exception of Victim, the Guardian of the Eighth Floor, and Gargantua, the Guardian of the Fourth Floor, all the Guardians have been gathered," Albedo announces. "We await your instructions."

"You all did well to gather here. Thank you all for coming so swiftly," Momonga says.

"Your thanks is wasted upon us. We here have all pledged ourselves to you," Albedo replies, receiving an eyebrow raise from Mörderin. "Lord Momonga, you may find us lacking, however, we vow to work hard and to live up to the expectations of the supreme beings who created us. This we vow!"

"This we vow!" The other Guardians echo.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then, Momonga happens.

"Most excellent, My Guardians!" He states, spreading his arms. "I have no doubts that you will complete our tasks without fail!" The Guardians all perk up at his words. "Very well then. Currently, the Great Tomb of Nazarick is in an unknown situation. I had Sebas survey our surroundings and Seikatsu is currently sweeping the area more thoroughly." Momonga turns his head to look at Sebas, who had just arrived and is bowing. "Sebas, your report."

"The Great Tomb of Nazarick is currently in the middle of a large grassland," the Butler states confidently, shocking the three before him.

"Grasslands?" Momonga asks, a hand coming up to grasp his chin. "Were the blades sharp or frozen blades that would stab at feet as one walks?" A snort comes from Tir, and he receives a pebble to the side of his head from the angel across him for his troubles.

"No My Lord, merely normal blades of grass as far as the eye can see," Sebas reports. "I could not confirm any sentient or hostile life within the two-kilometer radius."

"I see," Momonga replies. "We do not know enough about the current situation in order to make a proper summary of it. Therefore all levels of Nazarick will have their security levels raised to maximum. Defense Commander Demiurge and Floor Leader Albedo, do what you can to improve on our information gathering efforts and Nazarick own internal communication system, however, bypass the eighth floor. Report your results to Strategic Commander Mörderin."

"Lord," the two mentioned affirm.

"I'll receive the reports from Seikatsu and adjust the security level of Nazarick as to conserve as many resources as possible, with your permission, Guild Master," Mörderin interjects, falling into her new role with a smile. Momonga nods in reply before turning back to the kneeling NPCs.

_What fun can be had here in this new world? _She thinks, eyes shining, the doubts and confusion from before all but wiped away.

"Mare, do you think you can disguise the Great Tomb of Nazarick?" The Overlord asks, surprising the cross-dressing elf.

"W-well, we could possibly hide the walls behind dirt and vegetation, but-," the High Druid begins, before being interrupted.

"YOU WOULD DARE SULLY THE WALLS OF NAZARICK WITH DIRT-!" Albedo begins darkly.

"Enough!" Momonga orders loudly, startling Albedo and Mare. "Albedo, I was talking to Mare, keep needless comments to yourself."

"My apologies, Lord," Albedo says, ducking her head.

"Momonga, may I?" Mörderin asks.

"Of course, Mörderin."

"Mare, you were proposing to hide Nazarick as a dummy hill, correct?" The angel asks as she steps forward, receiving a nod from the boy. "A single hill would be suspicious, and if the civilizations on this planet are advanced enough, changing the topography could prove to be a beacon announcing we are here. If we are to do so regardless, I will help you create multiple hills." Mare nods.

"Yes, my Lady," he squeaks.

"Furthermore, I believe it would be prudent to also create woodlands on these hills, to disguise our presence further," she continues, receiving another confirmation from the boy. "Demiurge, you will be responsible for populating the area with Shadow Demons to monitor any unwanted guests. Should intruders prove hostile, coordinate with the First Floor Area Guardians to mobilize a force to drive them off or delay them as required."

"Understood, my Lady," the devil replies with a wide smile.

"I expect a full summary of our defences delivered to me upon your final revisions," Mör finishes, before stepping back behind Momonga.

"Finally, I would like to ask all of you a question," Momonga says, gaining their attention once more. "What kind of people are we to you? Shalltear."

"Lord Tirdak is the epitome of dominating force, Lady Mörderin is the pinnacle of elegance and class, while Lord Momonga is the embodiment of beauty," Shalltear says with heavily flushed cheeks. "There are none in the world nearly as beautiful as you."

"Cocytus."

"Lord Tirdak Is An Unbreakable Shield-A True Defender Of Nazarick, While Lady Mörderin Is A Warrior Beyond The Might Of Any Other, And You Lord Momonga Are An Existence Stronger Than Us All," the Vermin Lord states. "A Being Worthy Of Ruling The Great Tomb Of Nazarick."

"Aura."

"Lady Mörderin is the angel of Nazarick, truly a kind Lady," Aura begins, garnering a smile from the angel. "Lord Tirdak is like a hearth, his presence calms us all, and Lord Momonga is a most compassionate and merciful Lord."

"Mare."

"Lo-Lord Tirdak is cheerful, and Lady Mörderin is kind," Mare stutters, smiling shyly. "While you are really nice, Lord Momonga."

"Demiurge."

"Lord Tirdak is the High-Shaman of Nazarick, wielding spiritual power only bested by Lord Momonga, while Lady Mörderin is an impeccable strategist, truly worthy of being the counterpart of my creator," Demiurge states smoothly. "Lord Momonga is incredibly wise, capable of taking inscrutable action in an instant."

"Sebas."

"You never abandoned us Lord Momonga, and Lady Mörderin, as well as Lord Tirdak, mercifully returned to guide us," Sebas states without preamble. "You all are truly benevolent rulers."

"And finally, Albedo," Momonga finishes, seeming less enthusiastic.

"Lord Momonga is the Supreme Ruler of all of Nazarick, who never abandoned us," Albedo begins calmly, before deviating with a blush to a far more enthused tone. "As well as the one I love most dearly!" Momonga groans in surprise, before coughing to mask it.

"I have heard your thoughts, now go and fulfil your duties in the name of Ainz Ooal Gown," Momonga orders, before teleporting out of the area. Mörderin scoffs at the action.

"So quick to get back to paperwork," she muses as she deactivates her aura, turning to the yet kneeling NPCs. "Go about your duties. Mare, with me." The Guardians, sans Shalltear, stand and bow before following her orders. Naturally, she draws Mörderins gaze with her inaction. "Shalltear, do you need something?" The Vampire looks at Mör with a blush, smiling.

"My apologies, my Lady, I'm afraid my underwear underwent a bit of a crisis due to you and Lord Momonga," Shalltear states, shocking Mör into speechlessness as Mare steps up next to her. Before the angel can recover, Albedo starts to screech.

"You bitch!" She screams, dark purple energy coalescing around her.

"What?! We just received so much of Lord Momongas and Lady Mörderins energy!" Shalltear yells back as she stands, summoning her own red energy, "We got such a grand reward, a girl who doesn't get wet from something like that is crazy, you wide-mouthed gorilla!"

"You stinking Lamprey!" Albedo returns.

"I was created to be this way by the supreme beings," states Shalltear. "I take pride in it and can't be shamed by a gorilla like you!"

"That's the same for me, you know?!" retorts Albedo.

Mörderin sighs before activating her aura to Level 4.

"Enough!"

* * *

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed, leave a review and tell us what ya liked or didn't, theories, criticisms, anything, and I'll get back to you if I am able (_me too if something is directed specifically for me -Radi_) . -Lambda38


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Lambda here. Reception to the last chapter was nice, everything was nice, so yeah. Also, to the guest reviewer who mentioned what might be different from manga to anime and which we'd be using, I normally go off of the manga however many events and details happen in the anime which don't in the manga, so those differences may be stark when I write, while Radi tends to go off of the anime. However, since you mentioned the thing with Lupu, she will be following the novel more closely on that count. That's all, follow fav and review if ya care to, bye.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Settling In**

* * *

"Albedo, follow the orders Momonga assigned to you immediately, is that understood?" Albedo puts on a smile as she bows in acquiescence. "Shalltear, return to your Floors and raise the security level as you were ordered. Clean yourself up while you're at it." Mörderin turns to Tirdak while deactivating her aura, ignoring Shalltear's response. "Tirdak, can you give a buff to Mare to make this process faster?"

Tirdak stands there silently, making Mör frown in confusion. She assumes her Demi-angel form and flies up to be level with his face, noting that his eyes are pure white, while a ghostly white mist surrounds his body.

"Tirdak!" She calls, snapping her fingers before his face. A moment later she punches his nose rather lightly, rough enough to do the job, however, as the white mist gets dispersed the color of his eyes returns. "TIRDAK!"

An involuntary snort comes from the Minotaur as he grabs his nose, "BAH, what do you want?!"

"I need you to give Mare a buff to his casting time and spell speed," Mör says as she lands. "You weren't responding, so I hit ya."

"Yeah, I was kinda in the middle of something! And why does Mare need buffs?" Tir says rubbing his nose, "And a better question, where did that bony boi go? I gotta ask em a few things."

"Give the buffs and I'll give you the answer to your questions," she replies.

"Sure, sure." he says and turns to Mare, "Come here, lad." Though uncomfortable, Mare shuffles over to the large taur. Tirdak thinks for a second before casting two spells, one after another, the magic circles of both a bright blue color. After the spells are finished a wave of energy washes over the short elf.

But before Mare could say anything, Tir opens one of the pouches on his waist, and pulls out a small vile of blue-ish liquid and hands it over to the elf.

"Alright Mare, I gave you a boost to your spells, you should be able to cast them faster and more often, while also costing less of your mana. The potion itself is also a regular mana potion, if you run out, drink it, it should restore roughly," he shakes his head from side to side. "Ehhh, around 60%, but that's when you have no mana left if you have about 50% it only gives 20%."

"Th-thank you, L-Lord Tirdak," Mare says as he accepts the vial and bows.

"Now, onto answering your questions," Mörderin begins, before spinning and pointing at Sebas, who'd begun to leave. "Sebas! Guide Tirdak to where Momonga went and answer his questions for me!" A moment later, the angel has her arms wrapped around the young Dark Elf and vanishes to the entrance of the Tomb.

"Oohohohohoooo, I can feel a headache coming," Tirdak comments as he watches the spot where Mör previously stood. "Sebas, can you please tell me what happened while I was, busy."

"If I am not mistaken Lord Tirdak," begins Sebas. "You went into your spirit trance correct?"

"Yeah, kinda zoned out after you said where we were located," Tir admits. "So tell me only the important bits I missed from then to now."

"As you wish my Lord. In short, all of the floor guardians pledged fidelity to Lord Momonga, Lady Mörderin and you. After that Lord Momonga asked each of us how we view the three Supreme Beings that stayed with us. Finally, Lord Momonga ordered Mare to cover up the Tomb by creating artificial hills with magic, then left to the inside of the Tomb," Sebas concludes.

"Hmmm, alright then. Can you, later on, tell me what you lot said about me? Kinda curious," Tirdak says, receiving an affirmation from the butler. "In any case, let's go find Momo before he decides to fuck off somewhere again"

He began walking towards the entrance of the arena, but after a few steps, he stops and turns around.

"What in the fuck is that energy?" He asks, sensing fluctuating power from the arena.

"Pardon Lord?" Sebas asks.

"It feels like if two chickens were going at each other so much that they released magical energy out their asses," says Tirdak, his eyes glowing a dark blue, his gaze settling on Albedo and Shalltear, who are staring daggers into each other. Sebas being a smart man, says nothing.

"Do I want to know why Albedo and Shalltear have their auras blasting the local area with enough magic to scare a pack of starving wolves from their meal?" Tirdak asks as he goes near Demiurge and Cocytus, who are both a bit ways away from the two women and Aura who is trying to calm them down but failing.

"They are bickering over who Lord Momonga would prefer," Demiurge answers simply.

With a huff, Tirdak closes his eyes and concentrates. A moment later a gentle white aura begins emanating from him. All close to him feel their shoulders relax and their breath calm.

"Now ladies, can you tell me what all this bickering is for?" Tir asks after his aura calms them.

"Well Lord Tirdak, they stopped fighting just now, but are currently discussing," Aura begins but is quickly shut up by Shalltear putting a hand over her mouth.

"Apologies Lord Tirdak," she begins. "We were just a bit… overwhelmed"

"Ugh, fine, I don't have time right now anyway," huffs the minotaur. "Sebas let's go."

"At once, my Lord."

Tirdak, followed by Sebas, begins walking towards the exit.

Finally, after a 30 or so minute walk through the stairs and corridors of the Great Tomb in rather awkward silence, the two reach Momonga's room, where Tir figured the skeleton was located.

Tirdak knocks on the door twice, receiving a muffled, "Come in."

Opening the door they are greeted with the rather interesting sight of what had to be Momonga in complete black plate armor with a red cape over one shoulder with Narberal holding a large broadsword.

"You going to war Momo?" the Minotaur jokingly asks.

"Not exactly," answers Momonga. "I am going outside for a while."

"Mmm, alright, but before you go, I do have a question to ask you, also you should probably check in with Ri-," Tirdak clears his throat. "With Mörderin, before you go out, doubt she would be happy to know you fucked off somewhere. Again." The skeleton coughs into his fist, deflecting the jab

"So what did you want to ask me?" Momo inquires.

"You know Vaankiz, correct?" asks Tirdak.

"He was your creation, correct?" Momo says.

"Yeah, I want to send him and his herd out into the world, make them my eyes and ears out here. Now that I think about it, it was more so to give you the information that it was happening than to ask you if it can happen," Tir chuckles.

"Oh, well if you think that is the right decision I will give you the freedom to do so," Momo replies.

"Mmmmm," huffs the taur. "Well, in any case, Vaankiz should be heading out soon, can you inform the guardians to let his herd pass? I will be in my room, I want to brew some stuff, when you go to Mör, tell her that." He then exits the room.

"Lord Momonga, were you planning on taking an escort with you on your journey outside the Tomb?" Sebas asks as he bows in greeting. Momonga looks away from the Butler, whose eyes had taken a steely quality.

"Mörderin and Mare are outside the Tomb currently, if I must have a guard, they will suffice," he states. Sebas opens his mouth to argue, but Momonga cuts him off firmly. "Enough, I have made my mind known, and you may not question it! Inform the Guardians as to the movements of Vaankiz and resume your duties!" A moment later, Momonga vanishes and reappears on the First Floor.

The armoured skeleton walks up the stairs, only to find himself beset by several of Demiurge's subordinates. He stops, staring in surprise at the creatures that should have been on the Seventh Floor.

As Demiurge appears from behind the three creatures he confused for but a moment before kneeling down, hand on his chest.

"Lord Momonga." Demiurge began, "You come here without any guards? And that armor."

Momonga takes a few moments in thought before answering. "Well, there's a reason for all this."

Demiurge takes a sudden breath.

"So that's how it is," the Demon states with a grin. Momonga is taken aback by the reaction. "As expected of a ruler, your attention to detail is impeccable! However, I cannot allow you to go out without anyone accompanying you. Please permit me to accompany you."

"That won't be necessary," the Overlord says. "Mörderin and Mare are outside the Tomb at the moment and I have faith in their ability to defend me if needed."

"If that is the case, I'm certain Mare can defend you both," Demiurge concedes, though his brow is slightly furrowed as his lord walks by him.

A minute later, Momonga walks out of the Tomb, black armour glistening in the moonlight. He gasps as he sees the stars, brightly twinkling in the sky, while the moon shines brighter than he'd ever seen in his home.

He grabs a fly charm from his inventory and places over himself, activating it with a word. He flies high into the atmosphere, taking off his helmet to gaze upon the sky.

"This world is like a box of jewels," he murmurs to himself as he stares out across the open land. "Like all the stars in the sky are a part of a glittering adornment on the land below. Perhaps I should capture them, adorn the walls of Nazarick with them." A few moments of thought later, he dismisses the thought. "We may not be the only players here, or even strong in this world."

The skeleton spends a few moments merely enjoying the sight before he looks down, seeing Mare moving the ground with Earth Surge while Mörderin flies about in her full Angel form, earth shaping itself beneath her beyond the reaches of Mare's spell.

After a few moments of consideration, he flies down lazily as they work, the hills slowly ceasing their movement as Mör judges them to be sufficient, and small saplings beginning to sprout but the time Momonga lands.

"Heya, Momo," Mör calls as she lands next to him and transforms back into her Human form, stretching lackadaisically. At Momonga's arrival, Mare jolts and stops casting as he rushes over. "Coming to check out the surroundings?"

"Indeed. I felt it was prudent as Guild Leader to see the situation with my own eyes," he replies, with Mör giving him a conspiratorial wink.

"And what a glorious situation it is, no?" Mör asks with a laugh and a twirl, bringing the fact that she changed from her armour into a dress to attention. "The air is so fresh! I can actually fly through the skies and the wind feels so clean!" She lets out another joyous laugh, Mare smiling wanly off of her energy. "But you're here for progress, right?"

Momonga nods, and Mörderin gestures to the side.

"As you can see, we've created hills for the next two kilometers to the east and three kilometers out to the north and south. I'm going to have to continue expanding west, but I haven't seen any villages nearby, so we should be fine," she reports, before gesturing at Mare. "Mare has done perfectly thus far, and has already begun the process of growing the trees." Mare flushes at the praise, squirming slightly as he hugs his staff closer to his chest. "Aura was nice enough to deliver seeds from the Sixth Floor for us, which sped the process up a bit."

"I see," Momonga says. "Well done Mare." Mare turns into a tomato at his lord's words. "The work you're doing is of the utmost importance. In light of this fact, I'd like for you to take this." Momonga extends his hand, revealing a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

Mörderin raises an eyebrow at the gift but says nothing.

"B-but that's a ring only the Supreme Beings can possess!" The Druid tries to deny. "I couldn't possibly accept it!"

"Calm yourself, Mare," Momonga orders gently. "I am going to give these out to all the Floor Guardians to give them a faster means of traveling through Nazarick. I understand your thoughts but seeing your work made me wish to reward you. I am ordering you to accept."

"Th-thank you, Lord Momonga," the boy replies, taking the ring and placing it on his left ring finger. Mörderin stares a hole into the side of Momongas helmet, wondering what the real reason was. "By the way, My Lord, why are you dressed like that?"

"It's quite simple, Mare," a demure voice calls, drawing all of their gazes to Albedo as she alights next to them. "Whenever Lord Momonga enters, everyone stops what they're doing to pledge their loyalty. Wishing to avoid this, he went so far as to disguise himself from our sight."

"That sounds absolutely correct, Albedo," Mör interjects dryly, now understanding what Momonga had done and why he'd given Mare the ring. She gives the Overlord a bemused smile as he coughs into his fist.

"Quite," he begins. "As expected of the Guardian Captain, you can understand my intent with ease."

"It is only natural for me to be able to do so," Albedo says, before noticing the ring on Mare's finger and letting out a horrid shriek, causing Mörderin to balk and Momonga to flinch at his mistake.

"That's right, Albedo," Momonga says, catching her attention as he holds up another Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. "As a reward for your loyalty, I'd like to give you this. It's an indispensable item for you as the Guardian Captain." Albedo takes it with a giggle and slides it on, Mör edging away from the Succubus. "By the way, Mörderin, Tirdak said he'd be making potions-!"

"I'd best go help him!" She snaps out, vanishing as Albedo begins to shake.

"Uh, yes, I'll be returning to the Ninth Floor," Momonga says quickly before he vanishes as well.

A moment later, the Three Supreme Beings jolt as a feminine wail resonates through time and space to reach them. Mörderin just quietly stands next to Tirdak as he works, wide-eyed, as the Minotaur looks around.

Holding a small vial with a clear liquid in one hand and one slightly bigger one filed with a dark red liquid in his left, the minotaur barely manages not to spill them as the scream persists.

He exhales as the Tomb is quiet again.

"Fuck that was a close one," he says before proceeding to gently drop a small droplet from the clear liquid into the bigger vial. A moment later, a massive sigh of relief as the scream ends startles the massive beast, causing him to scream in a slightly higher tone than his regular voice, all the while losing grip on the small vial and smashing the bigger one in his hand.

As he looks down to the clear liquid on his work-bench, a mixture of blood and the deep-red liquid drop from his hand and into the liquid.

"Оййй, пиздец," were the last words he uttered before an explosion lit up in front of his face. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but a large part of his fur on the face and chest was burnt and a small fire was beginning to form in his two braids.

Putting out the flame in his hair and clearing his workplace and hand from any leftover liquids and glass shards, he turns to Mör and growls, "Can you please not teleport into my room, but instead use the fucking door next time mate? And why is there a banshee loose in the Tomb?" Mörderin shakes her head as she trembles and casts a regeneration spell on Tir, slowly reversing the burn damage.

"Albedo got given a ring by Momonga," is all the Angel says.

"Well I know he likes big tits and all, but that was a bit fast don't ya think? Not to mention his inability to fuck her," comments the Minotaur as he gets up and goes to grab a few plants from nearby pots in his room.

"The thing is Momo changed her flavor text to say that she is deeply in love with him," Mör continues, hands starting to calm. "So she went ballistic when she realized that Momo gave a ring to a trap and then went insane when Momo gave her a ring too."

"Wait, wait, he married Mare too? OK, this is going a bit too far now!" Tir says as he looks back at Mör. "And you didn't fucking stop him?"

"He plans on giving one to Shalltear and another to Aura too. Something about the best," Mör says as her head dips, hiding a smile.

The minotaur starts rubbing his temples in frustration as he speaks, "Please tell me you are fucking with me and I am just misunderstanding, but he wants to marry all four of them?"

"Who said anything about marrying them?" Mör asks with a tilted head, confusion written across her face.

"Oh thank fuck" the taur exhales. "Well you said ring, and for some reason, that was the first thing that came to mind." He then proceeds to gather the last of the herbs he needs and sits back on his work-bench. Mör casually hops up onto the large bench, making sure to mostly stay out of the way of ingredients and tools.

"Nah, he just wants to give all the Guardians Guild Rings so they can teleport more freely," she comments. "I think he wants to be able to teleport himself without the NPCs knowing. Do you think I should tell him he's got a real unique aura that's way too easy to sense?"

"You mean that one that looks like death itself is emanating from him, is the color of utter darkness," he then looks up with a confused scowl on his face. "And for some fucking reason smells and feels of grapefruit? If he hasn't figured it out himself… Well honestly I would be surprised, he usually boasts to be the most, how do I say it, intellectually inclined of any of us in the guild, or rather everyone else in the guild boasts for him, the lad is way too humble to boast really."

"I'd submit the word self-conscious, but humble works too," the Angel replies.

"I suppose that word works too," Tir responds as he chooses two herbs and starts to mesh them together in his mortar and pestle. "So any particular reason why you are visiting me, my friend?"

"Albedo started getting way too eager for my tastes," Mör replies. "I enjoy a beautiful woman from time to time, but with some moderation. There are women that want to get proper fucked and then there are completely batshit crazy banshees, and guess which one Albedo is that you should avoid?"

The Minotaur chuckles, "Oh no need to tell me, dealing with all kinds of _'internet personalities,' _I know a thing or two about people, Albedo might be a demon… Or was she an imp? Never mind, doesn't matter, she still acts like 'em. Though the sex is like you're on drugs at a rave… like all the drugs, not worth the trouble they cause afterward though." Mörderin snorts at the comparison.

"I didn't have the debatable pleasure of ever sleeping with one of them. I'm hardly saddened, they were conceited brainless morons if you ask me," Mör retorts. "But anyway, that's why I'm here, you're basically my meat shield for as long as you're awake."

Tir stops and thinks for a second before responding, "I was gonna say what a good friend you are using me as a meat shield, but considering that's basically my build, plus a bit of magic thrown in, ye seems about right. And brainless moron is a compliment for them, try base minimum intellect, that only wants serotonin dumped in its brain, and by turning themselves into what is essentially sex toys, albeit more active in bed, is the easiest way to achieve their goal."

"Good points," Mör comments as she glances towards the mush in Tir's mortar. "Hey, at least they became useful to somebody. Though maybe they weren't worth the oxygen." She sighs before hopping off the table and just slowly walks around. "What exactly are you trying to make?"

"Just a basic invisibility potion right now," began the minotaur. "Basic ingredients are Wisp Stalks and Mandrake Root. The base of the invisibility potion comes from the Wisp Stalk, which is poisonous, so I combine it with the Root, which completely absorbs any acidic or poisonous chemicals, then I separate the Stalks and put them to boil in water that was exposed to the moon for 12 hours, aka Moon Water and boom, basic Invisibility potion." Mör pauses in her walking to stare at the Minotaurs back with an incredulous stare.

"Moon Water?"

"Technically it's 'Elemental water,' and there are several ways to create it, one of which is the previously mentioned 12 hours expose period, and yeah there is some magic involved but still, since I was the only Spirit Shaman in the guild, I was the only one able to use the moon as a way to create Elemental Water. Tabula never did stop pestering me about 'proper names' and stuff, but since he ain't here now, I am calling it Moon Water!" Tir explains.

"Huh," Mör says. "That makes sense, before she taps a finger on her chin, and reaches forward. A moment later, her hand vanishes into a small black portal, and she draws out what is probably the most expensive waste of YGGDRASIL data she's purchased. "You going to be done with that anytime soon, Tir?"

While talking to his friend, the taur had been collecting the refined and turned into paste Wisp Stalks, put them in a small vial filled to the middle with 'Moon Water' and then onto a stand above a small perpetually burning fire in the center of his station, "I need to wait for it to finish, so give me like 10 minutes or so. And what's on your mind?" Mör shakes the ornate checkered box in her hand, the pieces inside rattling.

"Chess."

"Ha!" laughs the taur. "I remember when my grandad told me about the chess matches his grandad had tried to teach me how to play but I never got the hang of it, but sure let's give it a shot." Tir says while moving away some equipment to make room for the chessboard.

Mörderin waits for him to finish before opening the box and placing the board on the surface, the pieces that had been inside arranging themselves.

"That's pretty cool," Mör admits as she hops onto the table to get a good angle on the board and glances up at the Minotaur. "You going to exercise those levels in Doppelgänger or am I going to need to move pieces for you?"

"Funny," Tirdak says before starting to morph his form slightly so that his head had a good view of the board and his arms were long enough to reach with hands small enough for the pieces. "There, I am now a deformed cow-man… this is the strangest feeling I have ever experienced in my entire life, not sure if I should curse this guild for being only heteromorphic races." Mörderin shrugs before playing pawn to E4.

"Your move, mister mutant Minotaur," she states.

"I feel like an attraction at the circus," admits Tir before moving his own pawn to E5. Mör replies instantly with knight to F3.

"Well, let's have some fun," Mörderin says.

* * *

**Five Hours Later**

Tir kicked Mörderin out of his room a mere three losses later, prompting the Angel to wander around to familiarize herself to Nazarick before returning to her own room upon feeling tired, where she was surprised to find Lupusregina waiting for her.

"Lupusregina? Did you need something?" She asks curiously as she makes her way over to where the maid sits on her bed. The maid gives her a wide grin.

"Not really Nee-san," the werewolf replies, casually jumping off the bed. "I simply got assigned to look after you." The Angel raises an eyebrow at the notion, letting out a yawn.

"Well, if you'd like to do that, why not," Mörderin states as her eyes droop, before shrugging out of her dress, making Lupu flush as she glances away. A moment later, the Angel cocoons herself in the large blankets of her bed and says good night, receiving a good night from her watcher.

Around the same time, CZ2128 Delta arrived in front of Tirdak door and knocked lightly.

Opening the door and looking down Tirdak greeted the maid with a smile. "Hello Shizu, how can I help you?"

"Bodyguard," CZ replies.

The minotaur chuckles lightly, "Garnet sure did like straightforward answers, come on in. I still have plenty of experiments to do, so I guess you can help out if you want. Just don't touch the giant Venus Fly-trap in the far corner." he says closing the door after CZ enters. The Android looks around before walking over to the edge of Tirdak's workbench and standing silently. Tir sitting back down on his chair, continues his experiments with the various powders and elixirs in front of him, learning multiple times throughout the night that some things should not mix or an explosion is gonna burn your nose hairs off.

* * *

**AN**: Hope you enjoyed, leave a review telling us what to improve if you feel the need, and we'll catch ya next time. Peace. -L38

_Also, since alchemy is very much **not** delved deep in the wiki, and I do not have the time to read the light novel, since it is a lot more in-debt than either the manga or the anime, to see if the author has written a mile long list on 'Alchemy for dum-dums', I am basically making my own interpretation of it (unfortunately no blackjack or hookers), with some inspiration from various D&D sources. So don't go on my ass as to what the fuck is moon water! See ya! -Radi_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Heya. Welcome to the third chapter where a few things do in fact get done, and one or two notable events change. You might not realize what they change, but they will have some fun impacts down the line. Anyways, please enjoy this nearly 10k chapter provided mostly by me, and partially by Radi(_I would say something but he did, in fact, do most of the work -R_). See ya next time. -L38.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Preliminary Findings**

* * *

Mörderin stretches languidly as she wakes up, sitting up with a groan as her arms reach upwards and the blankets fall. A moment later, she opens her eyes, still a little sleepy, to see Lupusregina clearly looking below her eyes and a white-haired dark-skinned teen with black wings standing next to the wall.

"Good morning Lupusregina, good morning Seikatsu," she murmurs as she gets up and equips her secondary armor setup, a less regal and more down to earth Legacy class leather set.

"Good morning, Lady Mörderin," Lupu replies, red as a tomato as she bows deeply. "Lord Momonga requested your presence in the throne room as soon as possible." Mör nods sleepily in acknowledgment.

"Good morning, mother," Seikatsu replies with a slight bow, black eyes never leaving Mörderin. "My summons have completed their scouting of the area in the next three hundred kilometers. I thought you might like to hear my report." Mör gives her a nod to continue as she walks through her door, Seikatsu and Lupu following. "The area for the next fifty kilometers is uninhabited, mostly made of grasslands or heavily forested. A small way beyond that in the forest is a small village, Carne if my summons heard right. It is a purely human village with no combat able specimens. Further out from there in our search has not yielded a great number of settlements. Carne is likely one of a few borders settlements in the area for the kingdom it resides in. A little ways past Carne revealed a large city, name unknown." Mör hums at the information. "These settlements are to our south. Some ways to the west are a few tribes of lizardfolk, very basic in their civilization, but with more warriors than villagers. Somewhat north to them is a kingdom of dwarves. Nothing else of note was discovered, however, Lord Tirdak had Vaankiz lead his beastmen herds out of the Tomb and they shall be scouring the lands from a different angle. Upon hearing of their departure, I contacted Vaankiz and he agreed to report findings to me."

"Interesting," Mör comments as they near the throne room. "Out of curiosity, did the Angels you had watching us three discover anything interesting?"

"Aside from Lord Momonga's curiosity about world domination and Lord Tirdak's propensity for causing explosions, not particularly."

"Classic Momonga for you," Mör brushes off with a chuckle. "Well, what can you tell me about this world's level of strength?"

"Based off of the common civilian, hero level strength is likely around level 40 to level 50. This world is weak, mother," Seikatsu replies.

"Thank you, Sei," Mör says. "After we lower the security of Nazarick, get ready to travel with me to this Carne village. I'd like to gather some information personally."

"As you wish, mother," the white-haired angel replies as the trio reaches the throne room.

"Report what you've found to Demiurge and Albedo, Seikatsu," Mör orders as the doors open, receiving a nod. "Lupusregina, contact the Guardians and have them lower the security of Nazarick to Level Four."

"You got it, Nee-chan," Lupu replies with a grin while Seikatsu breaks off.

Mörderin silently approaches the throne where Momonga is sitting.

"Welcome Mörderin," Momonga says as Mör reaches the stairs leading to the throne, Albedo standing next to him. "I trust you slept well?"

"Like a baby, Momo," Mör replies with a grin as she laces her fingers behind her head. "I probably have some item to prevent exhaustion but sleeping is such a nice feeling." She stares at Momo for a moment, thinking. "Though as an undead you probably can't sleep, can you?" Momonga's head dipping enlightens her to her friend's predicament. "Well, I think I have some items that can inflict sleep, though I've no idea how effective they'll be, seeing as they're just gacha items."

"It's fine," Momonga interjects. "What has Seikatsu discovered thus far?"

"We're in the middle of nowhere with the next town in the middle of a forest and are fairly much impervious to anybody discovered thus far," Mörderin summarizes. "I'll be lowering the defenses of Nazarick to preserve money, seeing as there's no threat in the nearby area. Tirdak's beastmen and Seikatsu's angels will inform me if there is a greater threat out there. Although I doubt the beastmen will be very well accepted in they come across human settlements, so I'll need to issue the order to avoid populated areas soon."

"I see, thank you," Momonga says, receiving a shrug in return. "I called Tirdak here as well, though apparently, he's having some difficulties with CZ Delta, so I sent Sebas to assist him." Mör nods as wings sprout from her back and she gently flaps her way up to stand next to Momonga's throne.

"What do you want to bet he did something with one of his potions he regrets?" Mör asks. Momonga hums but shakes his head.

"A fools bet, not a chance."

A few minutes later, CZ Delta walks into the throne room, Sebas behind her. From a distance, she appeared to be holding something in her arms. As she approaches, everyone present sees that she is, in fact, holding a miniature Tirdak, who is shrunken down to the size of a Teddy Bear, with Shizu's arms underneath his own and wrapped around his chest, leaving his small hooves hanging. No one utters a word until the mini-taur speaks in an extremely squeaky voice while pointing at Mör and Momonga.

"Not. A. Single. Word."

At that moment, Momonga hears a click from behind him and glances over to see Mörderin whistling innocently as she hides a camera, though her whistle is broken by huffs seeming very close to repressed laughter.

"Well, Tirdak, how goes your investigations into your skills?" Momonga says as he turns back, poker face unbeatable.

"Oh, it's going great. Figured out that when you try to mix the wrong ingredients you can get explosions of various degrees, or you get goop, and sometimes you create a new potion that you decide to test on yourself and now you are about a tenth of your original size, and now every single maid that sees you wants to pinch your cheeks and hug you until your insides become outsides!" Explains the squeaky minitaur trying to sound angry, his voice only becoming squeakier. A moment later, he lets out a dying noise as Shizu hugs him harder into her chest, cutting off his ability to breathe.

At the sight, Mörderin simply gives up and starts laughing uproariously at her friend's plight, while Momonga sits silently.

"You got yourself turned into a shrimp next to Shizu?" She asks, laughing. "How on earth could you be so careless?"

Tirdak, while having plenty of colorful words that he wishes to unleash on his '_best friend,' _he is unable to do so due to the simple fact that a robot is giving him more affection than he thought possible. Also, the fact that his face is changing colors may be a contributor to his inability to speak.

"CZ Delta I believe you may be suffocating Lord Tirdak," Sebas says with a straight face.

The Automaton realizes that she is indeed hurting the mini-Tirdak and relaxes slightly but still holds him.

After taking a deep breath Tir finally speaks, "Ok, ignoring everything that just happened, what did you want Momo?"

"I wanted to go over everything we now know and make a plan for the future," Momonga replies, cutting through Mörderins wavering laughter.

"Well, I was planning to head to the nearby human village and see if we speak similar languages or if I could find anything else out that I haven't already told you," Mör says, interspersing her words with giggles as she glances at Tirdak.

"Are you sure it is wise to go out alone? I don't want-," Momonga begins.

"The closest thing the people there will be able to come to harm one of us is by maybe being able to bury Tirdak several meters down. Even then, he might be able to get out," Mör interrupts, much to Albedo's consternation, though the succubus says nothing. "But in terms of any combat ability, even if they are assassins, they're too weak to hurt a Death Knight. Besides, I'll have Sei with me. We can handle almost anything put together."

"Hm," Momonga acknowledges. "Very well. How long were you planning on staying there?" Mörderin shrugs.

"Maybe five days? Get the lay of the land, learn some culture. I might be able to pass as a peasant of whatever place we're in if I can mimic them," she says. "I presume you don't mind my excursion, then?" Momonga waves his affirmation.

"So long as you retreat if you believe there to be any danger."

"As you wish, _my lord,_" the angel replies with a smirk. She makes her way towards the entrance, scratching Tirdak's head as she passes by Shizu. "See ya in a few days."

"YOU DO THAT AGAIN AND I WILL-!" Begins Tir only to stop himself and hang like a wet towel. "Oh who am I kidding I can barely lift a fork, I ain't defeating anyone anytime soon." Mörderin's laugh is cut off as the doors slam closed behind her.

"Anything else of importance Tirdak?" Momo asks.

"Ehhh, not really, I am gonna continue experimenting with potion-making for right now," begins the taur. "I think I may be able to harness the explosiveness of failed potions to create ones that detonate when you break the glass, like a grenade… hmm might work on creating an actual grenade too, I will need either black powder or gunpowder, I have to see if my old pal Tabula has some in his storage chest." He then glances at Albedo. "If it's not a problem with you if I to go in his room Albedo."

After a moment of silence, she responds, with a slight smile, "Of course not Lord Thunderhoof. My creator, if I recall correctly was good friends with you, and you were the only one that was also an alchemist besides him."

"Well, I was the only one he could yell with over matters of potion-making and still have a nice conversation with afterward, hah!" Laughs the mini-taur. "If you need me Momo, I shall be working!" A rather loud growl comes forth from the tiny stomach of the taur. "And also eating… probably gonna need to do that too. Well, I shall see you later Momo, Shizu if you could be so kind as to get me to the canteen I would be ever so grateful." The battle maid happily obliges and begins walking towards the exit, still tightly hugging the teddy bear sized Tirdak.

Momonga lets out a deep hum, grasping his chin in thought.

"Is there something wrong, my lord?" Albedo inquires as Sebas walks to stand behind Momonga's throne.

"I'm simply concerned that we do not have enough information, and that Mörderin might be acting too frivolously considering our information," he replies, still thinking. "If someone we don't know of comes along and kills her, I don't think I'd ever been able to forgive myself." Albedo scowls at her lord's words.

"If anything, she'll only be a note of forewarning, nothing worth grieving, Lord Momonga," she states harshly.

"Be silent, Albedo," Momonga growls, turning to glare at his shocked subordinate. "If I ever hear you speak of one of my guildmates in such a way again, you _will _regret it." A moment later, a green aura surrounds him as he exhales. Albedo bows, face perfectly straight.

"My apologies, Lord Momonga," she says. "I overstepped my bounds."

"Indeed. Do not do so again," Momonga orders as he stands. "Sebas, I'm heading to my office, bring me the Mirror of Remote Viewing that Mörderin has in her room."

* * *

Mörderin walks along the forest path while wearing a simple white blouse and a pair of black pants with a simple steel sword on her waist, Seikatsu walking slightly behind her and dressed just as plainly as Carne village comes into view.

"We really had to deal with a few goblins, though?" Mör asks Seikatsu again, sighing as the dark-skinned girl doesn't answer. "How weak are these people that the monsters out there are this pathetic?"

"I did tell you their strength is nothing of note, Mother."

"Yes, but it's one thing to hear it and another to realize it. There might be fun to be had still, though. The struggle is hardly the most fun part of a story," she comments, garnering a grunt from her follower.

A few minutes later, the two arrive at the edge of the town, being received by an old man and his wife.

"Welcome to Carne Village, adventurer," the man greets, garnering looks of confusion from the two women. "Are you the ones who came about the job to control the monster population?" Mörderin tilts her head with a hum.

"Greetings, my name is Mer, and this is my daughter Shi," she says with a light curtsy, Shi only nodding. "I'm afraid I've come quite a long way and I'm not sure what you mean." Mer looks at the old man curiously. "What is this adventurer you speak of?"

"Oh, you're not from the adventurers guild," the old man says with a sigh, sagging. "I'd thought, due to your weapons…" Mer rests her hand on the blade on her waist.

"Well, I don't know much about this adventurers guild, but why don't you tell us about your monster problem," Mer says. "We'll happily help you if you've got a bed and a bit of spare food." The old man perks up, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Alright, come to my house, we'll discuss the details there."

* * *

"Obsidian, nooo… Leafweave, complete garbage… Darkwood? The fuck he needed Darkwood for!" Exclaims the minitaur in shock as he figs through the many chests in Tabula's room, more or less inside said chests, while munching on a chicken leg. "Where do ya keep your powders ya Cthulu loving-. AHA!... Wait, no, just shadowsilk, the fucking thing looks like a powder with this damned lighting."

A knock on the main door is heard and Tirdak pokes his head out of the chest he is in. In the doorway he sees Albedo, looking a bit sad.

"Hey, Albedo!" Greets Tirdak as he jumps out of the chest and goes over to her, frowning as he notes her countenance. "Oh dear, why do you look so sad?"

"Lord Tirdak," Albedo begins. "If you have the time, could we speak?" She glances over at Shizu who is standing behind Tir. "In private?"

"Hmm, sure. Come, I need to go get a thing from my room anyways," he turns back to Shizu. "Shizu if you don't mind, try and find any gunpowder or black powder, then bring it over to my room, but please do knock first."

"As you wish Lord Tirdak," the automaton speaks before beginning to rummage through the chests, much to Albedo's distaste.

"C'mon Albedo," the mini-taur beckons as he begins walking towards his room, Albedo close behind him, though she has to walk a bit slower due to Tirdak's small steps.

With the help of Albedo, Tirdak manages to sit atop his large work-bench so he can be at eye-level with her.

"Ok Albedo, what seems to be the problem?" Tir asks.

"Well My Lord-," Albedo tries to say before she is interrupted by Tirdak.

"Ok let's get this out of the way first. As much as Momo seems to enjoy it and Mör gets a kick out of it, I do not want any of the floor guardians, or even the Pleiades for that matter, to call me 'My Lord' or 'Lord Tirdak,' or anything like that. My friends and I may have created you but I view you guys as part of my family!" Tir firmly states, with a strong squeaky voice. "So just call me Tirdak, or Uncle or something, but not 'Lord' or some other shit like that, ok Albedo?"

"Oh… as you wish Lo-," Albedo stops herself at Tirdak's narrowed eyes. "Uncle Tirdak?" She says with uncertainty.

A large smile adorns the minitaur's face, "See, it wasn't so bad! Hell, considering my relationship with Tabula, and my slight participation in helping him name you and your sisters, I might as well be your uncle, haha! But now back on topic, what has gotten you saddened Albedo?"

"Well, you see… I have angered Lord Momonga," Albedo begins, lowering her head a bit. "It was in a burst of emotion, but I am not sure how to tell him that, so I thought since you and Lord Momonga are close friends that you could maybe speak to him?"

"Is this about your crush on mister skele-bones, Albedo?" Tirdak asks, prompting a blush from the woman. "Heh, I suppose that answers that. I suppose I can talk about it with him, but what exactly did you say to him that got him mad?"

The succubus ponders for a moment how best to repeat her previous statement, "It was a statement made against Lady Mörderin." She begins to trip a bit over her words as she tries to explain herself. "B-but trust me My… Uncle, I was only thinking about Lord Momonga, a-and him being with another woman, even if it is Lady Mörderin it's just-!" Before she can continue Tirdak stops her.

"I see what's going on Albedo," he says with a smirk.

"You do?" asks Albedo confused.

"You think Mör is gonna try and get in bed with Momo, don't you?" He states. After receiving no answer from the woman he laughs lightly. "Oh Albedo, you don't need to worry about that. Mör wouldn't even think about trying to get with Momonga. Let's say she… would more likely try and get in bed with _you_ rather than any male on the planet."

"Oh," was the only response from Albedo, aside from a slight blush in her cheeks. "I didn't realize Lady Mörderin was-! I see the error in my judgment, thank you for your time… Uncle Tirdak." She bows slightly before turning around.

"Wait!" Tir yells, prompting Albedo to turn back. "Come here." He says with his arms extended. "You need a hug and I need to get down, so come here Albedo."

Though a little confused and excited at the same time, Albedo hugs the miniature Tirdak and then puts him down on the ground.

"I will still speak with Momo, but try not to make such comments in the future. He can be quite hard to crack before he lets any woman be with him, and angering him will not help you. And if you need anyone to talk to or a hug, my door is always open!" Tirdak says.

"I will take those words to heart, Uncle. Please excuse me I have a lot to think about, could I be able to come and talk to you again in the future?" Albedo asks.

"What kind of question is that? Of course, you can Albedo, my door is open to all of Nazarick," Tirdak reassured.

Albedo bows again and goes for the door, passing Shizu who holds a small crate.

"I managed to find the powder," Shizu simply states.

"YES!" Tir exclaims. "Now bring them over to my work-bench, I need to get a few things and we can begin a few more experiments!" He laughs in the squeakiest villain voice he can muster before almost being strangled to death by Shizu's death-hug.

"Uwaaaaaaaaa," Shizu coos as she strangles her lord.

* * *

Mer stares at the small book in front of her blankly, trying to understand why two different alphabets were created for one spoken language with no discernible difference between the divide of universes. After a few more moments, she looks up to see Shi speaking with the village head.

"Is there anyone who can teach us how to read?" She asks bluntly, surprising the man.

"My wife and I can do it, though we're already giving you food and housing," the man begins, clearly out to bargain.

"We'll provide further services to Carne as long as you teach us and provide necessities," Shi replies instantly, making Mer proud. "Whether that means physical labor or monster hunting, we are willing to provide." The old man looks at Mer, who nods as she closes the book on her lap, placing it back on the shelf she'd gotten it from.

"Very well," he says gruffly. "If you're willing, we have some workaround here you can do. Hunting might suit you well, seeing how quickly you killed those monsters."

"Dire wolves and cave bears are hardly tender meat, chief," Mer states as she walks over to the two. "Still, hunting a few deer and rabbits should be easy." The man leads them out of his house, over to the nearby farming fields.

"Mostly though, you help out on the fields, and we'll teach you how to read," he says. Mer nods in reply, and he takes them to a rather fair blonde girl carrying a basket full of fruit. "Enri, come here a moment." The blonde looks over with a smile.

"How can I help you, chief?" She asks.

"I'd like for you to get these two working," he says, gesturing to Mer and Shi. "They'll be staying here for a short while, so they've agreed to help out." Enri nods in reply, glancing over the two.

"I can do that, chief," she says happily. The chief bids them a good day and goes off, leaving the three to work. "Follow me, you two. Oh, where are my manners, I'm Enri, Enri Emmot. What are your names?"

"My name is Mer," Mer replies. "This is my daughter Shi. A pleasure to meet you." Enri looks surprised at Mer's words.

"You don't look nearly old enough to be a mother," she comments, garnering a laugh from Mer, multicolored eyes twinkling.

"I'm over thirty-five, but thank you for the compliment," Mer answers with a smile, making Enri stumble in shock. Shi let's out a huff of a chuckle at the sight.

_This should make for an interesting few days. Though I do wonder why Seikatsu bargained for the writing system. Has she not already figured it out? _Mörderin thinks.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

Mör looks over at Enri, chuckling as the girl plays with her little sister Nemu.

"They're adorable," she comments to Sei.

"Indeed," the addressed replies, staring at the two as she relaxes on top of a hay bale while twirling a copper coin between her fingers. "This is a nice little village. Simple, but enjoyable." The two look out over the village until Sei notices something. "There is a large group of humans approaching from the west."

"Oh?" Mör replies, frowning. "It wouldn't happen to be a trade caravan, would it?"

"Considering that the life signs are lined up in formation, I doubt it," she answers, standing up.

"Enri, Nemu!" Mer calls as she draws her sword, getting the girls' attention. "Get to the village and warn everyone that there is a large group of enemies approaching."

"Enemies?" Enri questions, looking concerned.

"Mother, we must go if we're to intercept them!" Shi says urgently. Mer nods and takes off at a sprint, Shi following easily enough and after thirty seconds they cross the field and make it to the center of town in time to see a battalion of charging knights approaching the town entrance.

"Shi, box them in!" Mer orders as people start noticing the danger screams starting to resound.

"Twin Maximize Magic: Plague Barrier!" The girl calls, two smoking black walls ten meters high appearing on either side of the path the knights are on, shocking them. Mer makes it to the edge of the path, bringing her sword up and pointing at the knights, who have since stopped.

"I'll ask once, what are your intentions here, sir knights?" She asks, staring coldly at them as the villagers continue to shout in panic. The leader steps forth, an arrogant looking blonde man with a stupid face and cocky grin.

"Who're these beautiful maidens we've found ourselves today boys?" He calls back, garnering some catcalls and jeers from his men as they wave their swords about. "Well, to answer your question little lady, we've come to pillage, plunder, and have some fun with beauties like you. So why don't you and your little friend stand down before you get hurt?"

"So I was right," Mer states, lip curling in disgust as her blade lowers. "Shi."

"Maximize Magic: Plague Wave!" Shi says, a wave of dark energy washing over the knights in seconds, terrifying them and sending them racing, many stumbling and falling over each other in order to escape it. Moments later, the wave passes, and all of them look at themselves, finding no pain or difficulty moving.

The leader laughs from where he'd fallen in terror, standing even as Mer sheathes her blade.

"Was that the best you've got, you should just give up now, I'll treat you real nicely~!" He states, his men regaining their courage and jeering with them.

"This is taking longer than I'd thought, why aren't they in pain yet, Shi?" Mer asks her daughter, moments before a cry of agony resounds from several knights, as all of them double over, some falling on their faces and others simply to their knees.

"Internal plague," Shi replies simply as the barriers she'd cast earlier fall. "Slower in notable activation, but much more instantly lethal and not quite as grotesque." The two watch as the men before them convulse, many vomiting up blood and evacuating their bowels, making a terrible stench.

"_Sebas?"_ Mörderin calls over a Message, holding her nose as the men succumb to the plague.

"_Yes, Milady Mörderin?"_

"_Discreetly send some units with decent fire capabilities to clean up the mess made near the village Seikatsu and I are staying in please," _she requests.

"_At once, Milady." _

A minute later, a few fire salamanders poke out of the crop line, opening their mouths and swiftly breathing over the corpses, setting the entire group ablaze. Mer and Shi watch for a few minutes and notice that the fire spread to the crops along the side of the road.

"Oh shit," Mer comments as the fire rises, purifying the bodies of the plague within. "Right, I'll handle this." She draws her sword and runs through the crops near the fire, slicing through burning plants so that they fall on top of the burning corpses.

The villagers, who'd realized the danger is gone, gape at the large fire now on the main road into Carne, as well as the small new clearing near the entrance where nothing but upturned soil and small stumps of crops remain.

"Right then," Mer comments as she heads back over to Shi. "That's taken care of."

"Mother, that fire will be burning for several hours," Shi points out, making Mer chuckle sheepishly. "You should have had it taken to Nazarick first, then set them on fire."

"Hindsight is 20/20, okay?" Mer replies, ruffling Shi's hair as she passes on her way back to the villagers. The chief rushes over to the two, confused.

"What happened? I tried to ask the townsfolk but only a few saw what happened, and they only mentioned something about knights," he asks. Mer just gives the man a grin.

"Some knights thought it would be a good idea to attack Carne while my daughter and I were here," Mer explains, making the man gape. "We gave them a good dose of reality, and for attempting to pillage and murder Carne Village, we decided to just kill them. It wouldn't have done to warn them off and let them hit another defenseless village." The man stares at her in shock.

"What mother means to say is knights threatened to rape and kill us when we confronted them, so we had no choice but to eliminate them," Shi interjects before the man can reply. He looks at the white-haired girl, who shrugs.

"Well, regardless of your intentions at the time, thank you for protecting Carne," he says. Mer shrugs in reply.

"Not a problem, but I think it's about time Shi and I moved on. Mind if we stay here one more night, Chief?" The Angel asks.

"Certainly."

"Thanks."

After a few more moments, the two angels leave the scene and head back to their rented room. Mer collapses on the bed with a sigh, closing her eyes as she opens a message.

"_Hey, hey Tirdak!" _She calls as her Message connects.

"_Ай, сука!"_ is the first thing she hears, "_Mör, fuck, almost fumbled a bomb because of you! What do ya want?"_ Tir asks a little annoyed.

"_Seikatsu and I just barbecued a bunch of dudes who wanted to pillage our village. You got any use for charred flesh or know somebody who does?" _She asks, not actually expecting an answer. "_Maybe some human bones or something else charred humans could be used for?"_

"_Yes, actually I do need some human intestines for making a potion… what kind of question is that Mör? We have a necromancer ask him,"_ Tir jokes before pausing for a second. "_Hey… I haven't left to see the outside since we got here… how does it look?"_ Tir suddenly says, his voice more withdrawn than usual.

Mör thinks for a moment, grinning.

"_It's the absolute best! Air so fresh you'd swear the corrupt would just vanish from the pure purity! The sun is so big, and the stars are innumerable in the night sky while the moon looks like a delicious vanilla frosted donut!" _She gushes. "_I've never experienced life like this, and this is the absolute best. Seriously, fuck our world, I'll stick with this one any day of the year!" _

"_Heh, well when I am done with these damned bombs I just might come out and see for myself then. You know back home, there were still these tiny little parts where pollution was just low enough to be able to see the stars and the sky. And when you get to travel as much as I did you get lucky and visit these places. If this world is even just that, just little specs of happiness, I think I may be able to die happy… though by what you are describing it's more akin to what my granddad told me about what it was like before we fucked the planet,"_ Tir speaks back softly. "_Fuck, you got me all teary-eyed, anything else you need?"_

"_I mean, there is a bonfire on the way into the village I'm in if you can figure out who to call to discreetly have it removed I'd appreciate it," _the Angel replies.

"_First of all, what the fuck did you to those poor bastards to create a bonfire out of em, and second, have you tried pouring some water over em?"_ Tir asks. Mör chuckles in embarrassment.

"_Well, Seikatsu used one of her plague spells to kill them and I had Sebas send some creatures with fire abilities to destroy the plague," _she admits. "_I kinda don't want to call him again to clean it up further. I feel like that'd just be a way for me to look shortsighted and Sei is still glaring a hole into the side of my head…"_

"_Moving past the fact that Seikatsu used a plague near a village, isn't your character… well rather, aren't _you _an angel, can't you just fart on the corpses and the plague vanishes and the corpses turn into pixie dust?"_ Tir says, barely being able to restrain his laughter at his own joke.

"_They're corpses, not undead, Tir."_

"_But did you try?"_

"_No, and I'm not about to. I'm playing as a human, not trying to start a religion," _Mörderin states.

"_Why not? It's easy, turn some water into wine, walk on some water, cure a person's blindness. And considering you are an angel you can just do some other cool shit!"_ Tirdak laughs after delivering his statement. "_Tell me, what do the people seem like? How do they act?"_

"_They're people," _Mör replies blithely. "_They eat, shit, and sleep. Occasionally they also work."_

"_No fucking? That's disappointing to hear,"_ Tir jokes. "_I got word from Vaankiz the other day, he says the herd has made small encampments in various locations around the Tomb. Says he has sent a small scouting party to the south, south-east, there were tracks of what looked like minotaurs jumbled along with other animal-like tracks. He has a theory that there may be beastmen somewhere, asked for my permission to try and contact them, see if they wanted to join his herd. Though that honestly surprised me, since I specifically made his herd to be all either goats or bovine or other beastmen that are more or less like satyrs or minotaurs, don't know if I told you why at any point. He also has a small group of his best Centigors patrolling around that village you are in, but don't worry, I told him to order them not to get closer than viewing distance, which is like, a few hundred meters for them so unless the villagers go mushroom picking in the woods or something they shouldn't spot 'em."_

"_This seems to be a rather primitive civilization, let them know it is, in fact, something to worry about," _she retorts. "_I already knew, Sei told me about it and I let him know days ago not to approach people. I also told him to ask you when he asked me about the Minotaur issue. Anyways, can you help me out with my little issue?"_

"_Not sure if 'primitive civilization' and 'worry' are supposed to be in the same sentence but sure. Also, I don't have the fucking message spell that you and Momo oh so love to startle me with, and my method of communicating with others over long distances is a lot slower,"_ Tir says. "_I think the centigors can take the bodies away come night, just make sure the entire town is sleeping like logs."_

"_Plague time," _Mör replies. "_By the way, what are, uh, centuries again? I'm having some major weird ideas about centaurs but millipedes for some reason."_

"_They are called 'Centigores,' they are a mix of centaurs and different bovine beastmen. Funny story, I created this character cuz I found these super old books online for like dirt cheap and decided to read em, I think they were called Warhammer Fantasy or something like that, pretty much all of my npc's and Tir are based off a faction from those books called The Beastmen. They were depicted as evil but somehow I managed to make the NPC's neutral and Tir good, no clue how that happened."_ Tir laughs.

"_Somehow? Probably by putting the slider on 'Neutral' for your NPCs and not murdering too many humanoids yourself," _Mör retorts. "_Regardless, I gotta go. If I keep ignoring Sei, she'll probably plague my existence for the next century."_

"_Tell her to stop spreading plagues like it's the middle ages! And say HI from me!"_ Tir manages to say before Mör cuts the link.

"Tir says hi," Mör says, ignoring the judging glare Seikatsu is giving her. "Also, I might need you to-."

"I was listening," Seikatsu interrupts, making Mör duck her head. "A minor sleep spell will suffice, I don't need to plague everyone to ensure they're bedridden. Honestly, mother, it's like you're not thinking this through at all!"

"I'm not," she states, garnering a look of surprise from the dark-skinned angel. "I'm having fun, Sei. Even if Momo, as you said, wants to conquer the world, I'm not interested. I'm just looking for a spot of fun." The white-haired girl stares at Mörderin for several seconds before sighing.

"We do as you like, mother," Sei replies as she looks away. Mör grunts and flops back onto her bed, closing her eyes. "I'll wake you if anything else happens."

"Thank you Sei."

* * *

**Not Even Six Hours Later**

"Mother, wake up," Seikatsu says as she shakes Mörderin, making the woman come to slowly. "There's a group of knights riding towards the town with great haste. The village chief has requested your presence as well." Mör groans before shakily standing and stretching her arms above her head. She blinks blearily as she looks at Seikatsu, before shuffling past her.

The white-haired angel smiles as she follows her mother, amused at how sleepy she decides to be. Mer and Shi briskly jog over to the village chief, and Mer's eyes gaze upon the ragtag group of incoming warriors, noting the clearly heavier armor worn by the one in front.

"Well this is curious," Mer states as she and Shi flank the chief, who stares at the oncoming soldiers with remarkable ease. "What do you think, are they soldiers of this kingdom, bandits, or more knights like the ones from earlier?" Shi lets out a hum she thinks.

"The difference in armor is too striking. They don't have the same emblem, either, which leads me to believe these are bandits, if only due to the quality of their armor," she replies.

The three wait as the cavalry draws nearer, and eventually arrive.

The majority of them halt a decent distance away while the leader rides up to the group, eyes lingering on the blade adorning Mer's waist.

"I am the Chief Warrior of Re-Estize, Gazef Stronoff," he states strongly as he pulls up next to them, making the village chief gasp. "Your people will be safe so long as we are here." He glances at the smokestack across town. "Has your village already come under attack?" The village chief nods with a smile.

"Chief Warrior, it's an honor to meet you," he begins. "I am the chief of Carne Village, and the two women beside me are the travelers who fought off the attack from before." Gazef's eyes widen as he looks at the two, before he dismounts, guiding his horse out of his way.

Mer stares at him curiously as he makes his way over to her, before bowing.

"Thank you for defending these people, traveler," he says. "I am in your debt." He looks at Shi after straightening out. "And to you as well. If I can repay you for the deed you have done, I would be glad to." Mer chuckles at his earnestness, waving her hands.

"Just thank my daughter," she denies. "I stood there and looked pretty while she did all the work." The man balks for a moment as he glances between the two, while Shi rolls her eyes.

"Mother did as much as I did, don't let her words fool you," She retorts, squinting at the distant hills. "More to the point, are those magic casters yours?" Stronoff blinks, before cursing as he sees what Shi pointed out.

"Men, head into the village and take defensive positions!" He shouts while Mer turns to the chief.

"Chief, would you gather the villagers and head to one of the barns? Shi will look after you all, and it'll be easier for her if all of you are in one place," Mer states, multicolored eyes twinkling, receiving a nod from the chief, who heads off. "Shi, if you would, of course, defend the villagers, I'm sure they'd enjoy living."

"Indeed they would, mother," Shi replies dryly as she moves to follow the chief.

"Don't get carried away, Shi!" Mer calls before turning back to Gazef, who is staring at her curiously. "Well then, Sir Chief Warrior, shall we go inspect the small group of mages currently encircling us?"

"We'll need some cover to do it safely, are there any houses in the area with a good view of the surroundings?" He asks. Mer nods and gestures towards the town center, which has a tower with windows in the cardinal directions.

A few minutes later, Gazef and Mer look out over a force of at least thirty mages, perhaps even as many as fifty.

"That's quite a few," Mer comments dryly, a calm smile on her lips.

"Indeed," the Chief Warrior agrees. "I'd say only the Slaine Theocracy could mobilize so many high-level casters." Mer nearly laughs at that statement, seeing as they're barely summoning one to two Flame Archangels apiece. "Perhaps this is even one of their Scriptures."

"Scriptures?" Mer says, humming. "Curious name, but why would they be here?"

"If you have no idea why they're here, that can only mean one thing," he replies, getting Mer to turn and face him.

"Somebody really wants you dead, Sir Stronoff," Mer chirps, still smiling, though her eyes don't reflect quite so brightly. The man chuckles at the remark.

"Lucky me," the man answers, looking out where the only Principality floats. "Lady Mer. I would like to hire you and your daughter. Name your price."

"Eh?" Mer questions. "I thought it was obvious I was going to help you against them." Gazef jerks his head to stare at the somewhat confused woman, who shrugs. "But if you want to pay me, how about, I dunno, fifteen copper to both me and my daughter?" The man gapes at the low fee, before shaking his head with a grin.

"You're an interesting woman, Lady Mer," Stronoff comments, receiving a chuckle for the compliment.

"You have no idea," Mer says, before stretching and popping her shoulders. "Right, since they'll be coming for you, why don't you and I ride out to meet them? With our strength, I don't think we need your men for this." Gazef gapes again at her words, but before he can protest, Mer continues. "They'll come for you, and I can handle a few paltry angels, Sir Stronoff. There is no need to put your men in harm's way. Or, if you'd prefer, I can jog out, and face them by my lonesome." Mer shrugs. "Either work." Stronoff sighs before shaking his head.

"Well, if your daughter could kill a squad of soldiers alone, I'll trust that you're even more capable," the man replies, moving out of the building.

_It was more of a battalion, but details hardly matter,_ Mer thinks lazily as she follows him.

The Angel moves to the entrance of the village, Gazef meeting her there on the back of his horse a few moments later. He offers her a hand up, which she graciously accepts, easily ascending behind the Chief Warrior and wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Let us sally forth then, and show these men their folly," Mer cries merrily, receiving a grunt in reply as Stronoff kicks the sides of his horse, galloping towards the large Principality.

Mer watches as the group of mages quickly begin to converge upon their point of approach, and when tuning into her ten levels of Mage, can feel a Message rippling through the air, and pouts.

_Why couldn't I have two more levels into the bloody class to get the Spell to eavesdrop? _She thinks petulantly, even as Gazef sits up, knocking an arrow in his bow. Mer follows the flight path of the arrow right up until it disintegrates in the face of a mage. _Wall of Protection From Arrows. Cowards. _

The Chief Warrior grunts through his teeth, casting his bow aside and drawing his sword. A moment later, the horse beneath the two rears up in rebellion, throwing Mer from the saddle with a yelp, while Gazef launches himself off. Mer stands up while rubbing her head, looking up to see several Archangels closing in around them.

"Only a woman with you?" A mage on the hill mocks, the only one without a cap covering his face. Mer looks at him and then back at the Angel, casually drawing the sword off her waist. "Why, Gazef, are you going senile to think that two of you could possibly beat the entirety of the Sunlight Scripture on your own?"

"Shut up," Mer calls, swinging her blade once. "Holy Arc." A wide bright white arc of energy leaves her blade, carving through nearly twenty of the angels in the air, making Mer hum in thought. "That normally would've hit more of them. Wonder why it didn't." Her prismatic eyes meet the dark eyes of the gaping mage on the hill. "Oh well, guess I'll just do it again."

Another arc of energy clears out three more angels, their puppet masters clearly having learned their lesson from before, even as more angels are summoned.

Mer glances over before closing her eyes as a group of Angels surround her and charge in.

"Sixfold Slash of Light!" Gazef cries out, Mer opening her eyes in surprise and sees Gazef use a skill to cut through six of the angels that had charged her. "That was an impressive attack, Lady Mer, but we must be cautious about overexerting ourselves!" The man clashes with two angels, keeping them at bay and prompting Mer to dash in and bisect the angel attempting to hit him from the side.

"Don't worry, I can use that skill many more times before even getting an ache in my shoulder," Mer comments as she kills one of the angels pinning Gazef, allowing him to swiftly slay the other. She glances around and notes that the mages have already replenished their stock of angels, and with them, their overconfidence.

"Well now, you two have put on an excellent showing, but there is no way you can keep it up forever," the mage speaks. "Come now, tell me your name, lady warrior. I am Nigud Grid Luin, commander of the Sunlight Scripture." Mer swings her blade casually as she glances around.

"My name is Mer," she replies after a moment. "I'd say it's a pleasure, but you're far too masculine for my taste." She puts a hand on Gazefs shoulder. "Holy Protection." Gazef gasps as his muscles feel invigorated, his armor like a paperweight, and all his doubts pushed to the back of his mind. "You shouldn't need to worry too much about their attacks with that. For now, let's continue. Sword Dance!"

A flash later, Mer appears inside the ranks of the magicians, spinning like a top as her blade cleaves off legs, heads, and arms with equal ease. The men scream as she gracefully dances through the rain of gore, managing to evade getting blood on herself through the use of her Ring of Purity more than any evasive prowess.

Gazef looks around as the angels close in on him, and shouts as he charges, jumping into the horde with a mighty slash, cleaving through three of the monstrosities before landing.

Meanwhile, the mages had turned their attentions mostly to Mer, who continued between their ranks with ease, cutting them down to size as their screams approach the heavens, all the while slowly approaching Nigun.

"What?" The man shouts, incredulous. "What, how are you-! This is impossible! For one person, a woman at that, to be more powerful than-!"

A flash of light later, Nigun grabs his eyes, groaning, while all sound around him dies to nothingness. A few moments later, he opens his eyes and gasps at the sight before him. Mer stares at him, looking heavily annoyed.

"Well, do you have anything else for me?" The Angel in disguise asks, the land around them clear of any other mages or blood, and the skies empty of angels. Gazef stares at her back, shocked at the evidence of his eyes. Nigun lets out a few choked sounds, before Mer sighs, myriad eyes dimming till they appear like black in the waning light. "I thought not."

Nigun shrieks, grabbing at his coat and bringing out a summoning crystal. A moment later, Mer stands behind him, sword-swinging to the side to clear it of blood. Gazef gapes, as he'd been unable to see her move.

"Rest now, troubled soul," Mer whispers, as her swords click into its sheath. A moment later, Nigun's head slides off of his corpse, before it collapses. Mer glances at the body before looking at the summoning crystal in her hand. "I wonder what you are? Well, I suppose there's time enough to figure it out." She stores the crystal in her inventory, before feeling a tickle in her brain.

She glances up at the sky, at a particular cloud, and gives a slow grin.

"That's your cue to know the shows over, buddy," she says to the scrying spell above her. A moment later, the sky fractures and the feeling leaves. "Huh, I was right."

Mer turns back to Gazef and gives the Chief Warrior a grin. "So, about that fifteen copper apiece you promised?" The man gapes at her for a moment, before grinning and laughing, Mer joining him.

* * *

_I really have to get out the damned tomb if I actually want to see what the world looks like, _Tir thinks as he traverses the spiritual realm with great speed, to where more than likely Mör had been active, seeing how in the surrounding purple landscape, which barely resembles an actual world and more a painting done with too much water so that everything looks extremely smeared and barely recognizable, is suddenly brightened by a large light.

_Fucking angels, glowing like a damn star, _Tir chuckles.

Arriving at where Mör's soul is, he notes it shines with enough energy to give him a clear picture of the surroundings. Though there was one more light near Mör, Tir is more interested in the kneeling spirit that is holding what resembles its neck. Thanks to the shine from Mör he can see multiple bodies around, the only spirit is where his former body was likely destroyed. The spirit being a relatively new one had an almost complete resemblance to its mortal body.

With most spirits, a form is hard to grasp, but Tir being a master Spiritual Shaman and having a connection very few have with the Spiritual Realm, allows him to view it with a bit more detail. Though some spirits he had seen in the little time he had spent in the spirit realm had clear pictures of what was most likely their former selves, most were but white silhouettes, most likely due to how weak they were in their life, or spending so much time being a ghost they just lost form and no power was able to bring back their original appearance.

Tir himself opted his avatar to resemble a pure white silhouette, as in his first travel he discovered that a large part of spirits, if not all, would run away seeing the amount of energy he was freely showing.

"I hope you enjoy it here, probably gonna be a while until you pass on," Tir speaks to the spirit in front of him.

Said spirit suddenly stands up, and gasps as though he still needs air, "W-where am I? Who are you?"

"You are in the Spirit Realm, it's basically a place between the wold of the living and whatever the fuck is after that," Tir answers.

"S-spirit realm… am I DEAD?!" The spirit raises its voice.

"No, you're just having a bad dream, this is, in fact, the land of the color purple," Tir jokes. "Yes, lad you are most definitely dead."

"B-but that can't be true, even if I was, I should have been with my Lord. I am Nigun Grid Luin! I am not supposed to be here!" Nigun declares, anger masking his fear.

"Yeah… well you're still here, chances are you are still somehow connected to the world of the living, hence why you can't move on," Tir explains.

"THAT DAMNED WHORE!" Nigun suddenly screams, as much as a spirit could at least. "SHE KILLED ME… NO, SHE TRICKED ME! She cheated, must have!" He then looks at Tir's avatar. "You say were are in the spirit world?" Tir nods. "That means I can take my revenge! If I truly am a ghost then I shall kill her..." before he can finish Tir interjects.

"Yeah, good luck with that, we can't really interact with the physical stuff, well I can but most spirits here can't, best you can hope for is opening a window or making a pan fall," Tir says.

_Chances are Mör killed him, but still, he calls her a whore again imma smack 'im, no one insults my friends except ME! _He begins to drift off in his thoughts.

"I am Nigun Grid Luin! Captain of the Sunlight Scripture! I am more powerful than you can imagine. And whatever that woman did, she will pay! Her, that foul excuse of a warrior and that pitiful little village!" Nigun keeps on yelling.

"How about you stay quiet? This place is nice when it's peaceful and here you are yelling like a child, ruining it-!" Tir growls, annoyed.

"I SAY QUIET YOU IMBECILE!" Nigun continues vehemently. "That bitch will pay, if I am truly a spirit I will manifest and snuff her out! Then she will also become a spirit and I will keep torturing her until my Lord is pleased." Tir, beginning to get progressively more angry with the man, lets him finish. He wants to see how much arrogance and hate are stored in Nigun.

"THIS is why my Lord made me stay here, in this spirit world. So I can take revenge upon the tramp that killed me with deceitful magic! And you," he points to Tir's avatar. "You will show me the way to her and then maybe I will think of helping you escape this world along with me, but first kneel!"

Tir didn't know whether to be completely livid or begin laughing at the antics of this shallow man, who was hiding his true emotions, that of fear, behind a mask of confidence and arrogance, a mask the master spirit shaman could perfectly see-through.

"You are arrogant, you are a coward, the only reason you are here is probably _because_ your god didn't want you, so they threw you away. So just go off, and try to find peace. If you utter a single word against me or my friend again you will suffer," Tir warns as he turns to go to where Mör had gone.

"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME, YOU CRETIN!" Nigun exclaims, and he would have begun a new rant if Tir's patience hadn't reached its end.

Turning around and willing his avatar to grow in size and changing its pale white color to a deep menacing red he exclaims with anger, "**I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO FIND PEACE, BUT YOU CHOOSE TO BE A COMPLETE IDIOT ABOUT IT! FOR THIS YOU WILL BE MY NEW TEST SUBJECT!**" Tir extends his hands and tendrils shoot from his arms and encompass the spirit of Nigun who tries to struggle to no avail. "**I AM TIRDAK THUNDERHOOF, HIGH SHAMAN OF NAZARICK!**" The tendrils begin to pull the panicking spirit towards Tir's avatar. "**YOU WILL OBEY MY COMMANDS AND ONLY I SHALL DECIDE WHEN YOUR DUTY IS FINISHED!**" At this point, Nigun can't utter a word as his spirit begins to get condensed into a ball. "**NOW SPIRIT, SERVE ME!**" Moments later there is nothing else around but Tir's avatar holding a small white ball in his hands.

He examines it. "I think I fucked the ritual a bit… eh, fuck it still works, now to see what my dear friend is doing and also figure out how to use you, you pitiful excuse of a man." He proceeds to what seems like a small village, the souls in it illuminating the surrounding area so he could see a clear picture of what is happening, though he did have to get used to the muffled voices.

_Probably the strongest spirit shaman around, and I still have no clue how to shaman properly… eh fuck it, gonna learn as I go, now where is that pidgeon I call my best friend, _Tir thinks.

"My Lord Tirdak," a feminine voice says from directly behind him.

Turning around in surprise, Tir faces what looks like a wisp. Confused by the situation, the only words that come out are, "Uhhhhh… yeah?"

"I am Seikatsu, Lady Mörderin's creation," the wisp says slowly, glowing in tempo with the words coming from it. "I was curious about your presence here, and seeing as mother has killed off the last of the hostile people in the area, I thought I might come to ask why did you decide to appear?"

"Oh, Sei. I didn't know you could manifest in the Spiritual Realm, curious," Tir says, before dismissing it. "Well, I was a bit bored in the Tomb so I thought, fuck it let's see what my best friend is up to." He throws the spirit ball in the air and catches it with his other hand. "And while coming over here I got me a new soul, one that was really not fond of dear Mör, he should be an interesting experiment… oh, and if you could please not call me Lord, or any variation of that word, Tir or Tirdak is enough. I have enough of a headache with the Pleiades and the majority of the Floor Guardians refusing to stop calling me that and I do so very much hate it." The wisp nods.

"Of course, Lord Tirdak," she replies steadily.

"I see you have a bit of Mör's sense of humor in ya. Makes sense I suppose," dryly replies Tir.

"I do not understand what you mean, My Lord, but I shall accept it as a compliment," the wisp replies fluidly. "In any event, should mother and I expect your physical presence anytime soon?"

Tir pats the wisp before answering, "Spitting fucking image. But no, not physically, I will be here for a couple more hours in my spirit form, maybe talk to Mör after dark."

"Understood, Lord Tirdak. In any case, I must get back to mother, so if you'll excuse me," the wisp says, glowing much more brightly as it's wisp tail wiggles about, before slowly making its way towards the bright light Mör puts off as well as an oppressive muted sickly green color a small ways past it.

Walking up to Mör, Tir could hear the muffled conversation she is having with another person, and though his soul isn't as bright, the shine from Mör was more than enough to bring a proper image.

Of course, Tir being the mature adult minotaur that he is now, he boops Mör's nose just to see what happens.

* * *

"I appreciate the offer of introducing me to the king, but I rea-!" Mer says, trying to ward off Gazef's honor, before sneezing loudly. She groans and rubs her nose, wondering where the sneeze even came from.

* * *

Trying his best not to burst out laughing, Tir proceeds to boop any and all noses he can find.

"I do not care what happens, I will act like a 5-year-old for the next 10 minutes!" he yells as the boops proceed.

* * *

Seikatsu watches from her perch on the roof of the barn, doing her best not to smirk as Tirdak goes around causing people to sneeze. Perhaps what is even more amusing is that after every three to four people, her mother would sneeze again. Some villagers look around suspiciously as the sneezes progress, and a bit of discontent muttering starts.

Sei continues watching as all of the villagers sneeze and then the soldiers, ending with Gazef before approaching her.

A moment before her Lord touches her nose, she strikes his hand aside with her palm, glaring flatly at where she can sense he is.

"_No one can escape the boops Sei,_" Tir's voice whispers near her. "_No one!_"

"My lord, I think you'll find I never let my guard down. Heaven knows someone needs to be alert, because my mother isn't," Sei murmurs back.

"_I'll take it as a challenge then,_" Tir replies. "_Tell Mör I'll be here until midnight. And if you can keep quiet about my little pranks I will be ever so grateful._" Seikatsu merely nods in reply, staring down fondly at her mother who is reassuring the Chief Warrior she's fine even as she wipes a bit of snot off on a handkerchief.

* * *

**AN: **Well that happened(_I am not giving up on making Tir do stupid/funny shit, no one can stop me, no one can stop… THE BOOPENING!-R_). Please review, let us know your thoughts, ideas, theories, compliments, whatever you want. If you have good criticism, go for it. If you don't, that's good too. I accept any and all, though I ignore flames. See ya next chapter. -L38

_Also if you have questions about the alchemy, I think we may go over it in the next few chapters_(...suuuuuuuuure, that'll totally happen…-L)_. If we do not go into details, I may be willing to share a bit more with anyone who is interested, but wait and see if the next chapters have details THEN ask for said details. ALSO! If you have a problem with my warhammer fantasy inspired characters… too late, they exist, they are awesome, hopefully you guys like em! See ya lads! -R_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Hello. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Small response to the guest reviewer: Technically a term of address, but also since Mör is Seikatsus creator, she is technically Mör's daughter. And that's all! See ya folks, and enjoy!- L38

_Also, we change 'Mör' and 'Mer', 'Tir' and 'Kir', 'Sei' and 'Shi(_also Momonga and Momon as well as Narberal and Nabe-L38)' _quite often, and we are too lazy to only use one name (don't question the logic of that, it's better for everyone_(It's basically because they are transposing from Nazarick setting or planning on Nazarick goals to everyday adventurer-L38)_), so just remember, the first name is them in when __**NOT**_ _pretending to be human adventurers and the second name is them… pretending to __**BE**_ _human adventurers... err most of the time at least_(It's all the time. It is basically just an indicator of when they're likely in human forms-L38)_. Hope you enjoy it! -Radi_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Adventuring Begins**

* * *

"Seikatsu reports that with the exception of Vaankiz's herd establishing a larger encampment in a dense part of the forest nothing has changed in the surroundings. She is currently expanding her surveillance operation with the help of Aura," says Albedo to Momonga who is sitting behind his desk. "Uncle Tirdak has been unsuccessful with gaining much information apart from the soul he captured being the leader of the Sunlight Scripture from the Slane Theocracy. And what should we do about that village?"

"Leave it alone," Mör says as she perks up from the couch she is laying on. "We learned a lot from them, there's no need to attack and possibly embitter them to us."

"As Mörderin said, we do not need them viewing is poorly," says Momo.

"As you wish," Albedo says putting down the papers she holds. "This is the end of my daily report."

"Good work," Momonga says offhandedly.

Before Albedo could say anything, the door to Momonga's office opens and the heavy footfalls of Tirdak fill the room as he walks to an empty couch and falls onto it, the furniture buckling under his weight.

"This is such bullshit." Tir states.

"You make a potion that did something bad again?" Mör asks.

"No, in fact, I can't seem to be able to make a specific one. But that's not my problem," Tir pulls out a small glowing ball from one of his many pouches. "This fucker is so scared out of his fucking mind that I can't properly ask him questions."

"Have you considered torture?" Albedo asks.

"Heh, if he was still alive I would give him to Demiurge or Shalltear, they would probably get the information out _that_ way." Tir chuckles, "But no, he is a soul, not a lot of ways to torture a spirit… also haven't figured out how to bind him to a piece of equipment."

"You tried ramming the soul into the armor in question?" The Angel on the couch interjects.

"He isn't a sticker I can put on my lunchbox Mör," jokes the minotaur. "In any case… I am bored as all shit, you guys wanna do something?"

"Hmm, well I was thinking..." Momo begins

"ADVENTURING!" Mör interjects, now flying in the middle of the room and glowing bright enough that Tir and Albedo have to shield their eyes.

"AH, TURN OFF YOUR DAMNED FOG LIGHTS!" Tir yells, half-joking as he throws the spirit ball at Mör. A moment later the lights shut off as Mör yelps and falls, the orb nailing her in the forehead. After hitting the ground, she holds up the ball.

"FUCK YOU, THIS IS MINE NOW YA COMMUNIST BASTARD!" She yells in return as she stands.

"Really? With the century-old jokes? Try not to throw him in a furnace then, if you can, don't need him turned into soap," Tir jabs back.

"OH, YOU WANT TO GO TO THE HOLOCAUST! WELL LET'S GO FUCKING HOLOCAUST!" Mör shouts as her wings flap powerfully, making Albedo behind her stumble from the force as Mörs fist meets Tir's chest. The Minotaur stumbles from the hit and proceeds to head butt Mör in turn, making her slam into the ground.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YO-!" Momonga tries.

"Oh Momo, nice of you to butt in, Russia goes after Germany and the Japs instantly attack from behind!?" Tir says, instantly regretting his words as he realizes he went overboard. A moment later when he's blasted out of the door by way of Mörderin being slammed into him he feels slightly better.

Mör kicks Tir away from her, and hits a very large and stationary object, groaning as her head impacts onto Cocytus's scales while Tirdak lands straight onto Shalltear's chest.

The First Floor Guardian goes down under eight hundred pounds of Minotaur with a squawk whilst Cocytus tried to catch his Lady.

Albedo stares on in horror as Momonga walks out of the room, glaring at the two downed Guild Members. Mörderin uses Cocytus as a stand with which to stand, as Tirdak pushes himself to his feet.

"Ne, ne, _Lord _Momonga," Mör says, a deadly grin on her lips as she takes an iaido stance, an iron sword appearing on her waist. "What was that for, are you perhaps getting angry?" Tirdak huffs as two bronze axes appear in his meaty paws, turning to face his guildmates.

"What is it gonna be, World War 3?" The hulking beast roars in amusement as a wooden staff appears in Momonga's hand. "Don't ya know that we won the last two?"

Cocytus and Shalltear stare at their Lords in horror, unable to react from the sheer shock, whilst Sebas stares on from where he'd just arrived, heavily dismayed as Seikatsu next to him sighs in exasperation.

"My-My Lords and Lady, surely we can-!" Albedo tries to diffuse the situation but is interrupted by a war cry from Mörderin.

The Angel flaps her wings and darts at Tirdak, sword clashing heavily with his axe, neither foe giving way.

"Summon Mid Tier Undead: Death Knight!" The Overlord commands, a swirl of black mass appearing in the air and rippling into the shape of a massive grotesque and deformed corpse, wearing some armor and carrying a massive tower shield and jagged blade.

With a grin on his face, Tirdak headbutts the angel in front of him, dazing her enough so he could push her to the side. With a clear path to the summon that is standing in front of Momonga with its shield raised, the Minotaur begins to drag his right foot in the ground below him.

"УРРРРААААААААА..." Tir yells as charges, horns lowered, at the Death Knight. The summon unfortunately underestimates the towering bullman's strength and stands firmly, only for its shield to be pierced by two large horns and slammed into it. With a force to match an army, the minotaur keeps on pushing the summoned undead for a good 30 meters, past Momonga and a few of the Pleiades, before, with a grunt, launching it to the side into a wall, seconds later caving its skull with one of his axes, killing it.

Turning around, Tir stares into the eyes of his guildmates, his fur slowly gaining a red-ish coloring to it.

Just as Momo starts preparing another spell, Tir and Mör get ready to charge. At that moment, all of the floor guardians and Pleiades present on the floor suddenly cling to them. Albedo and Shalltear holding each of Momo's arms while Sebas, Yuri, Shizu, and Narberal restrain Tirdak, with Cocytus and Lupusregina holding onto Mörderin.

"My Lords, my Lady, please!" Albedo begs, desperately glancing around as the others holding the Supreme Beings stiffen in dismay, while Seikatsu stands where she was before, eyes scrunching in annoyance. "Do not fight amongst yourselves, please, if you are angry, take it out on-!" The Angel glances at the two holding her wings before huffing, opening her mouth to interrupt Albedo's heartfelt speech.

"Sieg fucking hail!" The Angel shouts, bopping Lupu on the head and tearing her wings from Cocytus's grasp and flying to kick Tirdak in the face while his arms are bound.

As she strikes the minotaur right in the chin, his head whips backward. He falls down to the ground, the three Pleiades and Sebas not having enough strength to keep him upright from the force that Mör had just exerted upon him.

Tirdak lays there, on the ground, unmoving, out cold.

An aggravated sigh seeps from Seikatsu on the sidelines.

Sebas kneels next to his unconscious Lord, gulping in dismay as the Minotaur begins to turn into smoke while Mör flaps her wings above Tir's unconscious form, proud, before a large fireball impacts her back, making her yelp and fly into the wall.

She collapses to the floor from the interruption, and then stands to see both Albedo and Shalltear have donned their armor and are standing in front of a panicked Momonga.

"Oh shit," Mör says before she has to dodge a strike from a Pipet Lance. "Shalltear, that's enough!" The True Ancestor frowns but proceeds to attack when Momonga speaks up.

"Shalltear, stop!" The Overlord orders, now holding the Guild Weapon, and slamming it on the ground. The Vampire freezes, Albedo flaring her axe in front of Momonga protectively. "We are not fighting. We were merely having a small disagreement, which Tirdak and Mörderin decided to have a small spar over, and they persuaded me to join in. Mörderin has not gone rogue." The Vampire glances at Momonga, even as Albedo hesitates to stand down, before bowing deeply to Mörderin.

"Forgive me, My Lady, for daring to consider harming you!" Shalltear cries, voice miserable, making Mörderin blink in surprise. "Please, punish me as you see fit!"

"Uh," Mör says, glancing over to see Seikatsu nodding to her, looking sufficiently annoyed. "Sure, I'll think of something, though you were only protecting Momo and Tir, so do I really need to punish you?"

"Mother, punishment is not excused because of motive," Seikatsu comments from the sidelines. "You weren't attacking our Lords, and neither were they attacking you. Albedo and Shalltear joining at all is worthy of punishment." Mör nods, frowning severely.

"I see," she states. "Very well. Shalltear, Albedo, I shall divine appropriate punishments for the both of you. In the meantime, do not slack off in your duties."

"Yes My Lady," both addressed echo. Mör turns to Momonga and grins sheepishly.

"So, ya wanna go adventuring then?" She asks as though never having been interrupted. Momonga sighs, before nodding.

"Yes, it would probably be enjoyable," the Overlord comments. "Tirdak, do you-? Where is Tirdak?" Sebas, who'd been at Tirdak's side, clears his throat and begins to speak.

"I am sorry to inform you My Lord and Lady, but Lord Tirdak… turned into smoke," the Butler states.

Everyone notices the slight mist that has covered the ground around their feet. Before anyone can say anything, the mist begins to pull itself into a pillar in the center of the corridor. Suddenly whispering begins to emanate from the mist pillar, the lighting around begins to dim, almost going out before two glowing red eyes appear at the top of the pillar. A moment later the mist dissipates, the lighting coming back to the corridor, and from where the pillar was just moments ago, stands a very confused Tirdak.

"Ok… that happened," Tir says as Mör blinks in confusion. "I will be perfectly honest." The minotaur continues as he stares at his comrades. "I have absolutely _no idea_ how or why I did that."

"Huh," Mör comments, blinking. "I see." She shakes her head. "Regardless, do you wanna go adventuring? Momo already agreed to it."

"Hmmm, sure yeah, sounds fun," Tir nods.

The Floor Guardians and the Pleiades stand utterly confused at what has just happened, deciding it is best to not say anything.

"My Lords!" Albedo cries. "I must object to you leaving without an escort!" Mör interrupts her.

"We'll take Seikatsu along then. And maybe one of your choice if you think it's necessary. Just make sure Momonga is alright with your choice." Mör comments before teleporting out.

Tir walks over to Albedo and pats her on the head, "You worry too much Albedo, all of you, in fact, worry way too much. We can handle ourselves." Albedo opens her mouth to object but Tir continues. "BUT as Mörderin said if you won't be able to sleep from worry over us, pick someone to come with. Ok, now I gotta go and get some equipment, if someone can get the soul orb and put in my chambers that would be great, ok bye." Tir teleports out of the corridor, leaving Albedo slightly deflated and an annoyed Momonga.

* * *

The doors to the dirty inn burst open, a towering knight in black armor and a red cape with two sword handles sticking over his shoulders standing in the doorway. The majority of the inns occupants stare at the man curiously, especially when he is followed by a taller man with a pale skin tone wearing a chainmail shirt over a padded leather gambeson, a simple hood that covers most of his head and face while letting a large brown beard stand out, leather trousers and simple boots, and on his back a large circular shield and a spear with a black spearhead. After them comes a stunning raven-haired woman wearing a full set of light leather armor over a shimmering black shirt and thin black pants, completed with a pair of thigh-high boots and twin longswords on her waist, a small smile on her lips. Following her are a pair of beautiful girls, one with dark skin, wearing a deep black set of skin-tight leather clothes and a black cloak, the hood drawn up to fall over her head, covering all her hair except for two tails running down her collarbone, with a pair of intricately veined dark metallic vambraces on her arms. The other girl has dark blue hair held in a ponytail, wearing a pair of simple brown pants and a white shirt covered by a brown cloak, and a short sword.

The group walks straight up to the innkeeper, who glances over them and continues cleaning a mug in his hand.

"Need a room?" The man asks without looking at the group. "It'll cost ya 5 bronze a room per night. Meals are 3 coppers apiece."

"I would like two rooms for five, we do not need any meals," the heavily armored man replies, garnering a look from the innkeeper.

"You're all copper plates aren't you? This is the place coppers come to make-," the keeper begins before Momon interrupts him.

"We only registered ourselves at the guild moments ago," he states, annoying the bartender.

"Fine, it'll be seven coppers a night and you've gotta pay upfront!" The man retorts heatedly.

"Okay," Mer replies chipperly, the coins landing on the counter a moment later. The innkeeper looks at her before sighing and leaning back, gesturing to the staircase with a thumb.

"Rooms are on the second floor in the back. Only two beds to each, so someone's going to have to share," the man states, prompting the group to leave.

Momon makes his way over, only to find his path blocked by a foot from a bald iron adventurer. Mer glances around the room as Momon and Nabe look at the foot, annoyed. Shi pulls Mer's attention back as Momon brushes past the adventurer, kicking his foot out of the way in the process.

"Ow!" The bald one exclaims, getting up and moving in front of Momon. "That really hurt, ya know?" He glares belligerently at the armored skeleton while Kir rolls his eyes. "What are ya gonna do to make it up to me? I can hardly fight with a sprained ankle!" He glances at Mer, Shi, and Nabe as though he hadn't realized they were there. "Well, maybe it will heal right up if one of these ladies treat it kindly."

Mer glances at the man for a moment before being distracted by a mop of red hair on the other side of the room. She stares at the woman in shoddier leather armor than her with interest, and ignores the man in favor of walking towards her, even as Nabe tsks in anger and reaches for her sword, only being stopped by Shi's hand.

Momon chuckles for a moment, getting all attention aside from the red-haired woman, who is happily staring at a blue potion. Mer looks at him curiously as he laughs.

"Hey, what're you laughing at?" The thug demands.

"No no, forgive me, you spoke like such a stereotypical punk I couldn't help but laugh," the Overlord comments, offending the punk as Kir smirks, knowing something good is about to happen.

"What?" The thug growls, stepping towards the armored giant. A moment later, he flies through the air, a slightly surprised Mer ducking beneath the human missile that lands on and destroys the table in front of the red-haired woman.

The thug's friends flinch as Momon turns to face them, while Mer runs her hands through her hair as she stands, humming as she watches the show.

"So, do either of you want to try something?" He asks. "It's a stupid idea to waste our time. If you'd prefer to-." He tries to speak before a feminine scream pierces the air. Mer looks at the woman behind her, who is clearly aggrieved by current events.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi!" She yells, stomping up to Momon, to the increasing amusement of Kir. "What the hell are you doing? My potion shattered because of you." She points towards the broken table, tears in the corners of her eyes. "You had better pay for it!"

"Potion?" Momon asks, confused.

"I bought that potion with money saved from skipping meals and quitting alcohol," she says, causing Mer to tilt her head and look at the blue liquid on the floor. Out of curiosity, she pokes a finger in it and brings it up before her face and sniffs it, before scrunching her nose.

_Smells like home, _she thinks with disgust, wiping her hand on the unconscious thug before her.

"The money that I saved little by little until-!" The red-haired woman says before she's interrupted by a large hand dangling a red potion in her face.

"Here," Kir says, smiling widely as his accent becomes extremely pronounced. "I'm sure this will cover it." The woman looks at the potion in confusion as she takes it, looking between it, the hooded giant, and the armored man, before lowering it to her side.

"Yeah," she says calmly. "For now."

Mer yawns as she ascends the stairs.

"Oi, Momon, Kir, let's get some sleep!" She calls, Shi following her mother closely, even as she shakes her head.

Piling themselves in one of the rooms, the five 'adventurers' relax the tension they have in their bodies, some more than others.

"Well, that happened," Kir says, pulling down his hood. His brown hair, shaved on the sides, comes together in one short braid. From his neck down are visible dark tattoos of various animals. "So, what now friends?"

"We stop throwing people across rooms?" Mer suggests, prompting a nervous laugh from Momon.

"You gotta admit though, it was a good throw," Kir comments, receiving a dismissive wave of the hand as Mer flops onto one of the hard beds, groaning in relief.

"In any event, we need to make a plan," Momonga states as he removes his helm, Seikatsu and Narberal kneeling in subservience at the words. Mörderin sighs and opens one eye to glance at the man, while Tirdak rolls his eyes while putting down his gear.

"Well, since we are gonna be adventurers for a while. How about we get a quest?" Tir asks.

"So all five of us are gonna go stare at a wall for 5 minutes?" Mör jokes.

"Was thinking more in the lines that two of us go and figure out what would be a good quest to do, while the rest go and explore the town a bit. Might find something interesting," Tir suggests.

"Sounds like a plan," Momonga replies. "It may be useful to know the town in the future. So who is gonna be taking the quest?"

"You," Tir and Mör answer in unison, Momo giving a surprised grunt in response.

"Take Sei with you, unless you've studied the alphabet already," Mer comments, sitting up.

Clearing his throat Momo asks, "Alright, and what will you be doing?"

"I am gonna go find a market to get some fruits if there are any," Tirdak begins. "Also might try and see if there is an alchemist in the town, I wanna see if they have some supplies I can get… may or may not have forgotten to get an alchemy kit and I am way too lazy to go back to the Tomb." Mör snorts.

"Right, you go and do that. Take Narberal as well," Mör says. "I'll see if I can't find the underworld of the city. I guarantee you that there will be something for us to find there in one of our future endeavors." Tir coughs before Momonga can approve of the plan.

"Uh, you sure you don't want to take Narberal with you, Mörderin?" He asks sheepishly. "I mean, I am just gonna go get some grub and find an alchemist, pretty sure nothing dangerous is gonna happen to me, on the other hand, you might need a bit of help if you're gonna deal with criminals." Mör looks up at Tir, eyebrow raised in confusion, and opens her mouth to reply when Momonga interrupts.

"I agree with Tirdak, Mörderin," the skeleton states. "If you're going into the underworld, there may be enemies we did not know of before. I may be best if you take Narberal with you, if only for security." Mör sighs, but nods anyway. "Very well." He dons his helmet. "Shi, with me. Kir, Mer, Nabe, be back here in three hours."

Shi stands and follows Momon out the door, while Mer sighs and casually opens a Gate to the alley outside the inn, walking through with Nabe and leaving Kir to his devices.

A mischievous laugh comes from Kir as he picks up his gear and heads out the door.

Searching for about 10 or so minutes, Kir finds his actual target. The brothel isn't anything fancy, but it has some charm to it.

_Well, alchemy and food are gonna have to wait I suppose… pity really wanted an apple_, he thinks as he chuckles under his beard and enters the establishment.

* * *

**With Mer and Nabe**

Mer takes a sip of the alcohol in her hand, glancing around as she walks through a slave market, and scrunching her nose at the drink.

_Piss water, worse than American beer. What I wouldn't give for a good beer from Germany. The only thing I'll miss,_ she thinks as she dumps it on the floor. She looks at the various people, mostly women or elves, often both. _Still, it was something to distract from the slaves. Now, why are they selling inside of a warehouse and not at an open market? It seems like an ancient enough time that slavery would be commonplace._

She glances at Nabe behind her and notes that the Doppelgänger is glaring at several men whose gazes linger on Mer for a bit too long and that the girl has actually placed a hand on her sword.

"Nabe," Mer calls, getting the girl's attention.

"Yes, Lady Mer?" She asks, releasing her sword.

"Calm down. We're probably the most beautiful things that these people will ever see," the Angel answers with a smirk. "Don't blame them for being too dull to look away." Nabe grits her teeth but nods.

"Of course, Lady Mer," she replies. Mer hums before stopping just short of hitting a burly man in front of her.

She looks down at the man, her towering six and a half foot form landing nearly a foot above his, and yet despite this, he is looking her up and down like a piece of meat. Mer notes the dark-colored adventurer's plate around his neck before speaking.

"My apologies for almost running into you, sir adventurer," Mer chirps, stepping back with a small flourished bow. "We shall be on our way."

Mer moves past him, only to find something grabbing her wrist, and looks down to find the man grabbed her. She tilts her head and frowns, even as Nabe nearly growls at the disrespect.

"Well lassie, you're in quite the dangerous place," the adventurer comments. "Why don't you come with me and I'll take you someplace real safe." His eyes wander down to her curvy rear, somewhat covered by her armor. "In return for a favor or two. Whaddya say?" At this point, Nabe had grasped the hilt of her sword and was clearly planning on killing the adventurer.

Mer glances about, noticing how many of the slavers have eyes on them, and hums before casually walking onwards, dragging the man with her as he tries to hold on. He shouts in surprise as the tall woman manages to drag him along without any sign of struggle at all.

"Thank you for the offer, but my companion and I will survive without you," Mer replies as she walks along, the man stumbling as he tries to keep up. "Please release my wrist."

"Oi, don't just ignore me!" The man growls in annoyance before yanking on her arm, finding absolutely no resistance as his arm moves back.

He looks on in confusion as the woman walks without his weight on her arm, and looks at where he'd been grabbing her, and hears a thud on the ground as Nabe walks past him. He glances down and sees a hand on the ground, and blinks before agonizing pain blossoms from his wrist.

His eyes dart to the stump of his arm, slamming his hand over the spurting blood as he screams in pain. Mer walks on without a care, casually twisting her wrist as she and Nabe leave the warehouse.

"So, is slavery illegal?" She wonders aloud with a scowl as she notices the group of adventurers rushing past her to the screaming man, all with the same dark plate as the man from before. "Well, that makes it a lot easier to find criminal activity I suppose."

* * *

**With Momon and Shi.**

_I really should have learned the language. I can't understand a single word_, Momon thinks as he observes the quest wall for the 10th time.

Shi who was going over all the quests finally finishes reading the last one and turns to Momon.

"My Lord," she says quietly. "I believe I have found a few quests that you might enjoy." She begins pointing to the various quests. "This one is about slaying a tribe of ogres to the east, this one is for the extermination of an undead infested cave, it should be easy for you My Lord. This one is for Elite Wine Tasting, I am sure mother would enjoy that one."

"You are joking right?" Momon asks in amazement, trying to ignore the blabbering of the other guild-members behind him.

"I am afraid not. And this one is says something about raiders, though it is ranked Mithril so it might have something interesting to offer," Shi sighs. "To be completely honest Lord Momon, I fear that there is nothing on this board that will be of much trouble for you alone, not to mention with the help of Lord Tirdak and Mother."

"I see," Momon says as he takes the Mithril level quest. "Well, let's see if we can take this one, though something tells me we won't. Also, just call us by our names. None of this 'Lord' or 'Lady' stuff. We're simple adventurers."

"Naturally, Sir Momon," Shi replies.

Walking up to the counter, Momon places the quest with a rather loud bang on the hard wood.

"I'd like to take this job," Momo says to the woman behind the counter.

She takes a quick look at the quest then at Momo and Shi's copper plates before answering with a smile, "I am very sorry. But this is a request for a Mithril Plate Adventurer."

"I know," Momon answers. "That is why I brought it here." The people that hear him gasp in amazement.

"But there are rules that must be followed," the woman protests.

"They are ridiculous rules," Momon counters.

"If you fail the request, there is a chance a lot of people will lose their lives," the woman warns with a frown.

Momo hmpf's before standing back up from his leaning position, gesturing to She as he speaks, "My associate is a third-tier magic caster." The statement provokes even more chatter from the surrounding adventurers. "And I am a warrior equal to her level. Not to mention our three other companions of a similar level, two of which may be even stronger than me," Momo boasts. "We want a job worthy of our skills."

"I am very sorry, but the rules state that you cannot take this job unless you are the appropriate rank," the woman says earnestly.

"I see. It can't be helped then. I apologize for sounding selfish. In this case, please give us the hardest copper level quest you have," Momon says, disappointed.

"Of course, please excuse me for a minute," says the woman as she gets up from her chair.

"I see what you meant by saying we might not get the job, Sir Momon," Shi speaks quietly.

"Mhm," answers Momon. "I doubt Mer will be very pleased though, she enjoys a challenge."

"I wouldn't be shocked if she decided to take an adamantine level quest just because nobody can stop her," Shi says conversationally.

"Then, would you like to help us with our job?" A voice speaks from the side. Turning his head Momon sees a group of four adventurers. Intrigued by their proposal Momon nods and follows them to the upper floor, closely followed by Shi.

"Well, let us introduce ourselves," the man with the blonde hair says as everyone sits down. "I am the leader of the Swords of Darkness, Peter Mauk." He points to the skinny man on his far left, who had spiky hair, also blonde. "This is the team's eyes and ears, the ranger, Lukrut Volve."

"Hi~," Lukrut greets with a sly smile.

Peter then points at the larger man to his right, "This is our druid Dyne Woodwander, he specializes in healing magic and the manipulation of nature."

"Nice to meet you," says Dyne with a friendly smile.

"Finally, our magic caster and the brains of the team," Peter points to the brown-haired boy to his left. "Ninya the Spell Caster."

"Nice to meet you," greets Ninya shyly, before turning to look at Peter. "But, Peter, can you stop calling me such an embarrassing nickname?"

"Huh? Why not?" jokes Peter.

"This guy is a talent holder," says Lukrut.

"Oh? A talent holder you say?" Momon says.

"Yes, his talent is Magic Affinity. It takes him only 4 years to learn magic that would normally take 8, right Ninya?" Peter says, making Shi look at Ninya curiously.

"Quite fascinating," Momon says.

"I am very lucky to be born with such a gift." says Ninya, "It helped me take the first step in achieving my dream."

"He is a famous talent holder in the city." Peter boasts for his friend.

"Well, there is someone even more famous than me here," Ninya says.

"Hmm, Master Balear, correct?" asks Dyne, receiving a nod from his comrade.

"Well, then let us introduce ourselves," Momon says. "This is Shi and I am Momon. If I may ask, what kind of talent does this Balear posses?"

"Ah, I see. You must not be from around if you don't know about Mister Balear," Peter says sitting down.

"Correct, my companions and I arrived just this morning. We are quite new to these parts," Momon admits.

"Nphirea Balear is the grandson of a famous pharmacist in town. His talent allows him to use any and all magical items," Peter explains.

"Quite a powerful talent," Shi says in a monotone voice.

"It is. Now about our current job," Peter begins but is interrupted by Momon.

"I have to say, before I can accept any offer you may have, I will need to speak with the rest of my team," he explains.

"Yes of course, but will you hear us out first?" Peter asks.

"Yes, please continue," Momon says.

"Well our current job is not a request actually," Peter admits. "We will be going monster-slaying near this city. Usually, depending on the strength of the monster the guild will receive money from the city to reward us with."

"It is a necessary task in our way of life," says Dyne. "Not quite glorious, however."

"But it does put food on the table, not to mention it's safer for the general populace," Lukrut says. "A win-win situation really."

"So how does it sound?" asks Peter.

"As I said I would need to ask my companions, I can be back in a few hours to answer if we can join you," Momon says.

"That's no issue, we can push back leaving until the end of the week at the latest so you have a bit of time," Peter says as Momon and Shi get up from their chairs.

"We will make sure to come back quickly. Goodbye for now," Momon nods his head and goes to leave with Shi in tow.

Going back to one of the rooms, Momon finds that he and Shi are the first to get back. Removing his helmet he sits on one of the beds.

"It would seem we will need to wait for our comrades," Momonga says. "In the meantime, have your scouts discovered anything useful?"

"Not much since I last updated mother," Seikatsu replies as she drops to a knee. "But they told me about a group of humans approaching from the south with some degree of haste that managed to spot some of them. A few of Vaankiz's herd were executed with little difficulty."

"Does Tirdak know about this?" Momonga asks.

"I have not informed him, but I am unaware if he has heard about it or not from Vaankiz," Shi replies.

"Hmm. He may not take it well, I fear he may do something foolish if he learns of their deaths, please do not tell him," Momonga says.

"Understood, Lord Momonga," Seikatsu replies, before standing and turning to the door as it opens to reveal Mer.

"Yo," the Angel calls, waving happily as Nabe follows her. "What'd you guys find for a quest?"

"We found a silver class adventurer group who are willing to let us join them for a bit of monster hunting-," Momonga begins before Mörderin sighs and collapses onto one of the beds.

"The monsters here are so fucking weeeeeaaaak," she whines petulantly. Seikatsu stands next to the wall silently as Nabe joins her, both staring at Mör acting in a manner unworthy of a Supreme Being. "Is there nothing else we can do?"

"Not while we are still copper class adventurers," Momonga replies. "It is unfortunate but unavoidable." Mör glances at him in thought. "In any event, what have you discovered?"

"Well I found a slave market," she replies, turning onto her back and letting her arms splay out. "Fairly sure it isn't a legal one, because it definitely was not open to the public. There was a bouncer, it was in an underground warehouse that was clearly owned by some criminal organization, and there were some poor excuses of adventurers trying to get myself and Nabe into their beds. All in all, a progressive society with normal criminals."

"I see."

Mör opens her mouth to speak when Tir finally returns, announcing his presence with heavy and annoyed footfalls.

He enters the room, closing the door rather forcefully. He then proceeds to put down a bag of apples on a chair and a small vial filled with blue liquid onto the table in between the two beds.

Removing his hood, everyone looking at his face could see two kiss marks of different colors on his cheeks. He then pulls another chair, sits down on it and stares intently at the vial of liquid.

"Why do you look like you lost a bar fight with some prostitutes and then got told your grandma regretted she had your father because of you?" Mör asks, staring blankly at the man, already understanding why Tirdak lumped Narberal onto her.

"I don't know, why are you laying like a plank of wood? Not a lot of people enjoy fucking an inanimate object you know," Kir counters, wiping the kiss marks with his hands.

"Because I am," Mör notes. "But seriously, why are you looking at that potion like it absconded with your sister?"

"Because I have no fucking idea how it was made, the old hag and her boy at the shop _refused_ to tell me and now I'm mad," Kir explains as he takes out an apple and takes a bite.

"Did you perhaps offer them something in return when you asked how to replace them?" Mör retorts lazily, taking a dagger from her inventory and tossing it between her hands.

"Offered them money, the hag turned it down. Said if I wanted to learn about alchemy I had to go all the way to some town called, Re-Label or something like that." Kir says in between bites, "Says there is an herbalist guild that I have to enter and study for half my life until I learn about making the darn potions. After that I went back to the brothel, thinking it might help me clear my mind. Unfortunately had to break the balls of some schmuck that was thinking he was all high and mighty and assaulting the girls in there and while the girls were extremely grateful, the fat bastard that owns the place kicked me out."

"You probably attacked some high ranking member or aristocracy dude," Mör comments airily. "I'll look into it. Might find something interesting anyhow. Have you used an Appraisal spell on that thing yet?"

"I did," Tir says taking out another apple.

"And what did you find, Tirdak?" Momonga asks.

"It's fucking shit I gotta be honest," chuckles the minotaur. "It's basically a first level healing potion, the very first ones you gotta grind to get your alchemy up. But that's not the curious part." Tir picks up the vial. "It has an expiration date."

"I see," Momonga comments, grasping his chin. "Do you think you can reverse engineer it? If we can make quality potions we may be able to gain a significant amount of consistent income."

"Mmm, nope," Tir says. "The fact that I have no idea how to even begin the process of making a blue potion that has an expiration date is the first hurdle. Then comes the fact that I can make potions that are 100 times better in my sleep, the only reason I want to know about this is my curiosity. The hag looked at me like I fell from the sky when I asked her about red potions, so making our types and selling them might paint us as a target." Mör hums as she throws her dagger into the ceiling.

"Did you happen to see what ingredients she had available?" Momonga asks. "From the information Seikatsu and I gathered today, she is a famous pharmacist, which may mean these blue potions are all they have as you suggest. If you can figure anything out from what you learned and saw there, it could be beneficial in the future."

"The entire place was filled with different jars of stuff in 'em," Tir explains. "But since I can't read a lick of their language I have no idea what's in them, though I think I saw some Drakus Flowers in one of the jars near the front. But it had like, two petals in it, so I guess they have trouble finding more of it, which is odd since it usually grows in temperate or hotter climates."

"So you've got no bloody idea, got it," Mör interjects, standing on the bed and plucking her dagger from the ceiling. "All it means is you'll need to find out some other way. Besides, we can make some money adventuring, and that's a lot more fun than playing with plants." She glances down at Tir. "If there'll be nothing else then, I'll be on my way." She places her dagger back into her inventory as she moves towards the door. "Nabe, with me. We're going for a walk." Nabe nods and follows Mer out the door before anyone can object.

"Why do I feel like we've made a terrible mistake letting her walk out that door?" Momonga asks the other room occupants.

"Most likely because we have. Last time she was left to her own devices my herd had to clean up after her," Tir jokes. "She is either gonna try and be sneaky or she is going to the brothel, only one of those will not end with some secret cult chasing us, hehehe." Momonga sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I'm heading back to Nazarick. We will return tomorrow morning," Momonga declares as he opens a Gate.

"I will inform the Swords of Darkness and track down mother," Seikatsu states, bowing as Momonga leaves. "Is there anything you need from me, Lord Tirdak?"

"Try not to kill anyone," Tir says, lying down on one of the beds. A moment later, Shi vanishes out the door and skulks away.

The angel walks through the streets until she senses the life signs of the Swords of Darkness, and approaches them immediately. The group laugh as Lukrut makes some unseemly gestures of grabbing at his chest, moments before Shi appears behind him.

"Ah!" Peter gasps as he notices the girl, shocked at her arrival, bringing her presence to the notice of the others.

"Ah, Ms. Shi, how can we help you this day?" Dyne asks with a smile. Shi meets Peter's eyes.

"If you'll have us, we'll meet you in the Guild tomorrow shortly before noon," Shi informs them, receiving a nod from the boy.

"We'd be happy to have you along," Peter replies.

"I must say," Lukrut begins, before stepping in front of Shi and kneeling. "I have fallen in love. Love at first sight one might say. So please, would you go out with me?" Shi looks at him for a moment before turning and moving to exit the building.

"Such a harsh rejection! So we can start as friends right?" yells the ranger after her.

"If I say no, will you listen?" She asks.

"Oh, that voice of hers is so..." Lukrut is unable to finish as Peter smacks him upside the head.

"Sorry about his rudeness, we'll meet you tomorrow!" Peter says. Shi nods and leaves.

* * *

Mer looks at the Guild attendant, whose smile has long since become brittle after she presented an Orichalcum level quest to the woman to root out slavers. Mer has a confidant grin while the woman is once again attempting to explain why the tide should obviously be restrained by the human muscles.

_Nope, wait, that's not it, I just am not bothering to listen, _Mer thinks in reaction to her random thoughts.

"Nabe and I are taking the job."

"You can't do that, if you try, you'll be putting-!"

"I don't recall asking for permission, merely informing you that I'm doing it," Mer interrupts merrily. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a city guard to notify and a slave market to crash!" The woman tries to object, but Mer grabs Nabe's collar and has her out the door and halfway to the guard outpost by the time the Guild lady gets out from behind her desk.

_Now to take down a criminal organization! _She thinks with a grin.

* * *

Lying in the bed Tir stares into nothingness as he is connected to the spiritual world. A few seconds pass before he comes back into his body and stands up to grab another apple.

Looking out the window, he can't shake the feeling that he will not be having a fun evening.

"She is about to do something stupid isn't she?" He says, still feeling the connection to the world of the damned. "Momo is gonna get a fucking headache from this one, even if he is a skeleton."

"_Lord Kir," _Shi's voice announces in his head.

Kir's eye twitches, "_Just Kir and what is it?_"

"_Lord Kir, mother is taking Aunt Nabe and trying to convince the guard to launch a raid on an illegal slave market," _Shi informs him. "_A rogue guard is delaying her and another is attempting to inform the slavers so that the raid will fail. Requesting permission to execute the guard."_

"_No killing, just knock him out and put him in a cart in some side alley or something. I'm going to find Mer,_" Kir orders as he picks up his shield and spear and rushes out the door.

"_As you command, my Lord," _Shi replies. "_Mother is at the guard tower, head for the main gate and you should be able to hear her shouting."_

A moment later she cuts off the Message.

Kir mumbles obscenities in Russian as he charges down the stairs and blows past an Iron level adventurer group entering the inn without any hesitation. He veers down the street, easily belying his size by evading every person between himself and the end of the street, and a voice reaches his ears.

"I'm at least five hundred meters from the gate and I can still hear her yapping," he grunts with a smirk. "At least she's obvious about it."

After moving through the streets and narrowly avoiding a man on horseback, Kir arrives at the epicenter of the shouting to find Mer half a second from blowing a fuse at the guard's stubborn refusals.

"Bitch you'd better gather somebody to pick up after me, otherwise a lot of slavers might escape!" Mer states in annoyance.

"And I once again reiterate that there is no way slaves could've been brought in E-Rantel without the guards noticing, so you're clearly not telling the truth," the sergeant in front of the Angel asserts, looking down his nose at the woman as much as he can when half a head shorter.

Mer nearly punches the man when the Captain of the City Guard arrives.

"What seems to be the issue here?" He demands, sharp eyes glancing over the copper plates around Mer and Nabe's necks, before meeting the multicolored eyes of the enraged Angel.

"I discovered a slave market in the warehouse district in town, but this oaf doesn't want to believe it," Mer states crassly as Kir finally approaches her. She glances at him and nods before turning back to the Captain. "Nabe here can confirm what I am saying. We took on a mission from the guild to root it out, and now that we've found it, I was hoping to inform the City Guard so the criminals in question can be properly arrested, but this buffoon keeps insisting it cannot be the case." The Captain nods with a frown.

"Sergeant, assemble a detachment and prepare to detain whatever slavers this woman provides you," the man looks piercingly at Mer. "Though if you were expecting help with the raid, we cannot offer it. I'm afraid most people willing to sell slaves are more than capable of dealing with Mithril or Gold class adventurers, and only I am qualified to deal with them in the Guard." Mer waves her hand dismissively.

"Kir and I can easily do it. Nabe will guide your men to the sight when they've assembled," Mer replies, now calm. "Make sure you have a few cages and a lot of handcuffs."

"We'll be prepared, just deliver them to my men," the Captain orders before walking off. "Bloody coppers." Mer turns to Nabe.

"Don't hurt them unless they try to attack you, Nabe," she orders. "Understood?"

"Yes, my Lady," Nabe says with a displeased frown, a moment before Mer takes off into a sprint.

"Keep up, Kir!" Mer shouts over her shoulder.

Catching up to his friend, Kir grabs her by the shoulder, forcing her to stop.

"Before you run off like a lunatic blasting people a new one, mind telling me what in the name of the spirits is going on?" Kir says clearly annoyed at the situation. "What's this about raiding a slave market?"

"I found a slave market earlier," Mer states, before walking forward, dragging Kir along as he tries to stop her. "Found a quest in the guild about taking some slavers down, and it pays really well, so I'm looking for the money! Not to mention I wanna make some motherfuckers bleed out their eyeballs as they get a two-foot double-edged dildo shoved up their asses!" Mer is sprinting again by this point, voice filled with bloodlust.

"So you just decided you would go charging in, without backup, smashing morally lacking people left right and center AND YOU DIDN'T CALL ME?" Kir says. "Honestly I am offended. But do you have an idea about how to stop them from running away? Cuz you may be fast, but you still can't track all of them." Mer waves her hand dismissively.

"I had Shi call you, didn't I? Besides, she's spent the last few minutes summoning some crowd control Angels. Only basic summons, nothing better than archangel level, but it should be enough," Mer replies. "In any event, let's go catch ourselves some morally bankrupt motherfuckers and take their coin purses!"

"No promises on them being alive after," Kir jokes and equips his shield and spear. Mer chuckles darkly.

"You have no idea how truthful you just were," she comments as they take a turn, blitzing towards the warehouse district.

In front of them, a large door stands closed, only two men in front playing cards.

"There, the door and building is just a cover!" Mer yells. "It's an underground market that stretches out under a lot of buildings in the area!"

"Alright, you deal with the guards, I'm gonna knock!" Kir responds, pulling ahead of his comrade.

"Yeah, yeah."

"SPIRIT OF THE BULL!" he yells as a tattoo of a bull's head shines on the left side of his neck.

Charging forwards, shield in front, he screams at the top of his lungs as a spiritual bull forms where he runs, mirroring his actions.

The two guards, caught by surprise, have just enough time to stumble out of the way before Kir crashes through the large door and down into the courtyard on the other side. The force he exerts on the door is enough to turn it into dust at the point of impact and shatters the rest.

Mer, pulling out one of her swords, dashes swiftly and within a moment cuts down the two guards before following her friend inside.

"Dipshits and retards!" Kir yells at the top of his lungs. "You have exactly 5 seconds to drop your weapons and surrender and you might live to see the sun again!"

The large number of people gathered, look at Kir in bewilderment for a solid 2 seconds, before all of them take out a weapon of some kind.

"The sun's right be'ind ya, ya copper bastard!" One of them shouts as he prowls forward, a dark adventurer plate around his neck. "We c'n see it naew!"

"And here I thought they had a bit of brain in them," Kir says disappointedly.

"Are you actually surprised?" Mer asks nonchalantly, a malicious grin on her face as blood drips off her sword.

"A little," Kir admits with a sad face before a devilish smile accosts his lips. "Well, time's up shitheads!" He dashes to the nearest group of slavers, the men working well enough to prepare for him, and slams into the first one, bashing him aside with his shield as the flat end of his spear slams into the side of another's head.

Mer cackles as she darts at the rogue adventurer, her sword clashing into his with a loud clang. The man glances at her plate and grins, applying more pressure to her blade.

"A copper plate th'nks thah she can handle an orichalcum? You're such a joke, girlie. You look rather fine ho'e'er, so I'll 'ave some fun with you after we kill the big guy!" The adventurer crows before his vision tilts to show the floor, Mer having vanished.

"Yare yare," the woman comments, standing behind a crowd of slavers who find that they've unhanded their weapon hands. "Mutts yap on and on and on, but are any of you actually worth anything at all?" She asks before deflecting a strike from another orichalcum adventurer.

"You cut off my hand, you bitch!" A man screams at her before he gets his head impaled on Kir's spear. Mer glances over at his quarry to see a mess of forms just lying on the ground.

"You haven't been killing them?" She asks curiously. Kir shrugs.

"You were the ones that went for the guards," he replies, before frowning. "Besides, you spared the slavers behind ya." He points at the ones who Mer unhanded, running out the door in a panic as one or both of their hands have been lost.

"And three, two, one," Mer counts, before black forms descend on the runners, cutting through their chests with ease before forming a formidable blockade, making many of the slavers who can see them scream in panic. The creatures stand at seven feet tall, with black energy wings protruding from bulky forms, with black sabers in either hand of the angels, and unlike than most of their common brethren, rather than a helm they have a hood.

"Angels! They've got summoners!" One yells, trying to rally. "Keep calm!"

A moment later, Kir plants a foot on the man's face, sending him to the world of blessed unconsciousness. The spear-wielding giant roars as he swings his spear and catches several of the people present across their stomachs, sending most of them flying and getting punched by Mer, who yells at him.

"Watch where ya swing, ya lumbering bastard!"

"Watch where you walk!" Kir returns.

"Yaaargh!" Several men cry as they try to surround and ambush the adventurers, only to be met with two blades slamming around between them and knocking them out one at a time.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE!" A man screams at the two, drawing their gaze to see a fat man in fine robes holding a dagger to a terrified elven girl's throat. "DON'T MOVE OR I'LL GUT HER LIKE A FISH!"

Mer looks at the girl and lets out a strangled cry of rage, seeing blood pour from where most of the girl's ears had been shaved off. Her myriad eyes meet the eyes of the flustered fat man, aglow with rage as her Aura activates to level 5, sending out a crushing force from her.

"**I will end you for this!" **She cries, fury coating her words before the fat man jerks back, the hand holding his dagger torn messily from his arm, shocking Mer and everyone around.

He screams for a moment as his stomach bulges and his eyes puff up, before his legs twist around, breaking his knees, thighs, and every bone in his leg as he levitates upward, screaming in agony as every bone in his body slowly compresses in on itself. The agony continues for several moments, his arms and legs twisting over and over again, tearing veins and muscles, before it ends with a swift jerk of his head, instantly shattering his spine.

The fat form drops like a rock towards the terrified slave elf, who is staring at the body in shock, before Mer darts in, wraps her arms around the girl, and darts back out. The body lands with a meaty squelch, Kir staring at it with disgust, white mist disapating around his extended arm as Mer worries over the girl.

"Anybody else want to try some shit like that?" He asks roughly, glaring at the remaining thirty or so slavers and their cages full of slaves. The men and women around gulp, even the two remaining orichalcum adventurers, before the majority drop their weapons to the ground. "Good. Now nice and quiet like funnel out that door. The angels will take you to the guards, and the guards will take you to prison. Got it?"

They nod, and slowly begin to move out of the building towards the exit specified.

Kir glances at Mer, who is crouching next to the child and whispering sweetly to her, who still shivers in fright.

"Mer, you need to turn off your Aura," Kir reminds her, making the Angel jolt. "You're scaring them." A moment later, the oppressive force lifts from the area as Mer's eyes stop glowing.

"Are you alright?" She asks the girl, gently holding her shoulders. The elf girl for her part, slowing reaches up and grabs at her stumps of ears, quietly sobbing. Mer grits her teeth, before taking a deep breath and raising her hands, gently but firmly moving the girl's own hands away. "It's okay. I can help you." The girl flinches as Mer raises her hands around her head, but Mer casts before she can run away. "Regeneration." A golden white glow emits from Mer's hands, seeping into the girl just as she ducks away from Mer, running towards one of the cages.

Inside, an older girl with a similar color of bronzed hair reaches out, catching the girl as she crashes into the bars of the cage, sobbing into the bigger girl's shoulder.

Mer stares at them, before picking up her sword. A flash of movement is all it takes for her to break open the cages. After she opens the doors, many of the former slaves look at her and Kir in shock and awe, especially the ones in the cage near the little girl, who had noticed her ears slowly regrowing.

"Come on!" Mer calls, activating her Aura to the lowest level. While oppressive to everyone at the higher levels, at the first and second levels it boosts morale for allied units. "We'll guide you to freedom if you'll follow us for a little."

* * *

Mer stares at the adventurers guild clerk with dismayed eyes.

"What do you mean there are no provisions made for freed slaves? How are they supposed to survive if they'd been freed to nothing?" Mer objects, seething where she stands.

"The contract to free slaves is an ongoing one that does not make provisions for them, only a reward for every free slave," the clerk replies. Mer sighs angrily.

"How much for each?" She asks crossly.

"Thirty silver pieces," the woman replies, smiling smugly. "However, seeing as you are a copper adventurer, you cannot accept the reward as you couldn't accept the quest itself." Mer narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath, fury coating her every muscle, making the clerk much antsier. "However, we can put that silver towards the freed slaves until they manage to find some way to make a living or a method of travel to another place!" Mer smiles, hands leaving deep grooves on the wood of the counter.

"And, of course, any leftover money from the reward they don't use will be given to them, no?" The Angel asks, voice sickeningly sweet. The clerk rushes to nod, paling. "Good. Get to it then."

Mer whirls always from the woman, heading towards the inn, with Kir and Shi on her heels.

"Mer-," Kir begins, before being cut off.

"He-hey!" A shrill voice calls out as they exit the guild building. The group looks to see the little girl from earlier alongside the taller girl who'd hugged her. The elder girl walks up to them, hand in hand with the little girl and bows. "Thank you for saving my baby sister, adventurers." The girl says with tears streaming down her face. "That awful human was trying to buy my sister for his '_pleasure house.'_ Thank you so much for saving her!"

"We were just doing our job," Kir says, kneeling down in front of them so that they can be at eye level, giving them a warm smile. "Now get going, start a new life, I wish you the best." The two girls nod before Mer lets out a hum. Shi looks at her mother, sighing internally.

"Wait," Mer calls to the two, making them freeze and look at her frowning face. "Do you have any family?" The elder of the two clutches to her little sister but shakes her head. "How old are you, kid?"

"I'm thirteen winters old, ma'am," the girl replies to the intimidating woman. Mer hums again, before looking at Kir, who's staring at her in confusion.

"What?" Kir asks his friend. Mer looks at the two girls, then points at Shi and looks at him again.

Kir looks between the girls and Shi, then back at Mer, "What_?_" Mer rolls her eyes.

"God you are hopeless," Mer mumbles.

"_She's asking if it would be a good idea to adopt these two and raise them in Nazarick, Lord Kir," _Shi informs him through Message. At the information, Kir makes an 'O' face.

"Ooooooh… I mean, I don't know how Momo would react-," Kir begins.

"It's settled then!" Mer interrupts, turning to the two girls with an impish smile. "How'd you like to come with us?" She extends a hand to the two, Shi sighing in the background as Kir gives them a grin.

The two stare at the woman for several seconds, before eventually nodding, making her grin widen.

"It's settled then," she says. "Kir! Head back home with Shi and tell Momo about this! I'll be going back to the inn and getting a better room for these two." With that, Mer grabs their hands and drags them off towards the inn.

"Alright, I got a bit more business to do and I'll meet you there," Kir says. The two watch as Mer drags the two girls off, the two looking about as hopeful as one could expect.

"I did not anticipate this," Shi mutters coldly. "I was certain she'd take them back to Nazarick."

"You of all people should know, that would have ended badly. Very few back home would like the idea of Mer adopting" Kir says to Shi quietly. Shi looks up at him blankly.

"With all due respect, Lord Kir, Sir Momon would not mind, the Pleiades would mostly adore the two, as new nieces, and at the very least Sir Cocytus would be ecstatic to have some heirs of his Lords to train," Shi replies as she walks towards an alley, surreptitiously opening a Gate.

"Not them who I was worried about," Kir murmurs under his breath as they walk towards the Gate.

"Of course, Lord Kir," Shi replies. "Shall we both return to Nazarick or shall I inform the others myself while you remain in E-Rantel?"

"You go, I'm gonna stay here, got some unfinished business I need to take care of," Kir shakes his head.

"Of course, my Lord. I shall inform my angel to wait outside the room the next time you entertain yourself," Shi comments airily. "Until then, simply call for him if you need me to open a Gate for you. He can cast Message, so it should be suitably faster than a letter."

"Jokes, the likes only your mother can make, good job kid."

Shi glances at her Lord before she crosses the Gate.

"Check your shadow, Lord Kir," she replies before leaving, her Gate closing behind her.

"ChEcK YoUr shADoW," Kir mocks as he starts walking, "Of course you had to make her just as annoying as you, you bloody pigeon… how the fuck we are best friends Mör, I shall forever not know."

Walking down the streets Kir heads to the slums and the brothel he was at not but a few hours ago.

Walking through the door he gets stopped by the large bodyguard that had escorted him out earlier.

"Hey idiot, didn't I tell you to-," the guard suddenly goes quiet, as a very painful punch to the side of his head knocks him out.

"Nope, sorry, too busy not giving a shit," Kir says and goes deeper into the brothel. Going down the first set of stairs to the basement, he enters the large central room, filled with various men of all shapes and ages being 'served,' though the most common is the sphere and the 40 to 50 age group.

"Alright you bunch of slimeballs, everybody get out before I start rolling you out like the donuts you are!" Kir declares. "This brothel is officially out of business, so unless you want to get thrown behind bars, I suggest you get your limp dicks outta here!"

One of the more '_fit_' men, stands up from the sofa he was laying on, pushing the 3 women off of him. He is a bit younger with a barely forming mustache, but clearly has a bit of adventuring under his belt, if the gold plate is any indication.

"Oh really now?" the guy mocks. "And who said that buddy?"

Kir puts his arm in the large bag he was carrying and pulls out the severed head of the owner and throws at the man's feet, many of the women screaming at the sight of the blood spilling out.

"That would be me," Kir smiles. "Now you either shut the fuck up and leave quietly, or I am gonna do to you what I did to this fat piece of shit."

The man stares in shock at the head before letting out a cry of anger.

"THAT WAS MY UNCLE YOU SON OF A WHORE!" The adventurer yells, pulling out his sword and charging at Kir.

"Bad choice," Kir quietly says as he ducks under the high sweeping strike and punches him in the gut.

The adventurer falls to the ground clutching his midsection in pain as his sword clatters to the ground.

"Anyone else dumb enough to try that?" Kir asks, and sure enough, a few more men pull out their weapons, causing all the women to scream and run away into the nearby rooms.

Kir sighs, "They never learn do they?" Grabbing the sword of the still groaning adventurer on the ground Kir gets ready to defend himself.

Not even 30 seconds later, most of his attackers are on the ground, either dead, bleeding out or unconscious. The ones that weren't in the fight, hurry to leave or pick up their buddies off the ground.

Kir patiently waits for the ones still alive to leave.

"Alright ladies you can come out, the dipshits left," Kir says as he drops a rather hefty bag of coins on one of the tables.

Most of the women are too scared to go out, except for two. The two eldest women there, that being a bit of an exaggeration since they couldn't have been older than 30, poke their heads out. Both of them are human, and their faces brighten as they see who has come to their aid.

"Kir!" They yell as they throw themselves in his arms. "You came back!" The shorter red-haired woman on his left said.

"I told you I would," Kir winks at them. Before kneeling down and grabbing the magic shackles that were on their ankles.

Muttering a few words, the shackles burst into sparks as Kir breaks them off the women's legs.

A few more minutes of removing every shackle from the rest of the women and girls there, and throwing out one fat fuck still hiding under a bed, Kir speaks to the two women.

"I hope that should be enough," he gestures to the large sack of coins on the table. "And I hope you can take care of the other girls, I am not sure how else I could have helped."

"Are you kidding love?" The taller, black-haired woman says. "We have been working here for over a decade, and have been taking care of all the girls here. But you came in and freed us, even giving us money. You don't need to do anything else, we can take care of the rest."

"I am glad to hear that," Kir exhales before suddenly being kissed on the cheeks by the two women.

"If you ever feel a bit lonely, come and find us," the red-haired one says as they throw him a wink. Kir, on very few occasions, has blushed, and this is such a moment.

Clearing his throat and focusing on being the manly man he is, Kir bids them farewell.

"You girls better get dressed and get out of here, who knows what those idiots I smacked around might do to you if they find you here," Kir says.

"Don't worry about that love," the taller one says. "We have ways of handling ourselves, but you better go, if they alert the guards I doubt you have enough money in your pocket to out bribe them, and I really don't wanna see you in some jail."

"If you're sure ladies. Take care," Kir says as he leaves the former brothel.

"Well that's done, wonder if there are other brothels… probably, though I doubt they will be as open as this one was. Well tomorrow's problems for tomorrow me. Now, where can I find a good old fashioned steak?" Kir murmurs and heads in a random direction, following his gut.

* * *

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed this long chapter, we'll be getting back to the main story and some of the repercussions in the next chapter. And beyond it. Ya know, like a story. Bye! -Lambda38

_And leave a review, we eagerly await criticism! Also, I am not sure if we can bust out another 10k+ chapter in a week again_(*maniacal laughter*-L38)_, so no promises on the next update being in a week. -RadiTheCrusader._

PS: Lambda here. Anyways, some of you might be wondering why Momonga isn't quite so central or even involved when it comes to the adventures Mer and Kir are having. Simple answer is he probably wouldn't approve of taking down a slave market, simply because it may draw unwanted attention, and Mer knows that, so she's avoiding him so long as she calculates it won't damage her friends in any significant way.

But the fun times... the repercussions... They are closing in. Also, brownie points to whoever can guess who killed some of the beastmen Vaankiz commands.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Hello.

I'm ALIVE! Anyways, not quite the 10k in a week I'd thought of, but y'know. Also, we'll be slowing the process at which we put out chapters for this story so we can refocus on our other works(which have suffered from our concentration on this), so don't expect the next chapter til at least March.

Also, in response to the Guest who thought it was odd for them to be acclimated to fighting. First of all, for all you know they could have studied the sword or axe in the Old World. They didn't, but you didn't know that. Secondly, you cannot honestly save you believe in maybe a few months, Ainz was skilled enough with a bow, a pair of daggers, an unbalanced axe, a sword, a pair of massive gauntlets, and whatever else he used to be able to kill Shallty on his own. The game downloaded the information necessary to Mörderin and Tirdak, much like what probably happened to Momonga with his magic. (pressing buttons and using magic at a maximum effectiveness level are not equal). So that's why they can fight.

As for the killing, it's mostly because the people they're killing are what we'd consider negative karma. Mör, if it isn't obvious with her angel race, has a maxed karma stat and so killing those who have less than neutral karma is hardly difficult. Also, Richter was quite… pessimistic? Maybe fatalistic is a better word? He has no real care for life. Mörderin has a backstory that does care for life, but until the character has fused with the human in the mind, guilt will be kinda foreign.

That's all for that from me! Enjoy the chapter! -Lambda38

_As for Tirdak, well he is a minotaur, even if his karma is about +100. That instinct to fight and kill has fused with Boris' beliefs about how people should be punished for their crimes. While he wouldn't want the death crime for say, shoplifters, he would for slavers, not to mention ones that are adventurers in a world where while adventuring a way of life it is also seen as helping those in need_(albeit for coin.-L38)_. This very… extreme and rather old way of viewing things, combined with him being a minotaur/Doppel hybrid now, which has also altered his view of the world a bit, doesn't really make him care for the death of some low-life scum. Of course, he still has a heart, unless his enemy is actively trying to kill him or he knows for certain if someone has done something wrong (maybe some of the people in the slaver place were good but he does jump to conclusions quite a bit, also wrong in the spirit of… mass murder), he most likely won't kill him, even in a duel, but you never know, accidents happen. I hope this explanation made sense! -Radi._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Many Things**

* * *

"This is my party," Momon announces to the Swords of Darkness, who sit at the table of the same room they'd conversed in the day prior. "This is Kir, he's our shaman warrior." The bearded man gives a grin to his new companions. "Next to Shi is Mer, our swordmaster, and beside her is Nabe, who is a spell caster." Peter gulps as he looks at Kir's towering form before smiling, while Dyne frowns at the two elven girls hiding behind Mer.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all," the boy says, before introducing his party. "I presume that Momon has briefed you on our mission?" Mer resists a sigh as she nods, pointedly ignoring the small child hugging her leg.

"We are of course grateful that you would take us along," Mer replies calmly as she smiles. "I hope you don't mind if my two wards come with us. This one is Aneirin Aenaria." Kir chuckles as Mer rests a hand on the elder girl's head, pushing the auburn-haired girl out from behind her. "And the smaller one making herself one with my leg is Alloralla Aenaria. Please forgive them, but they are quite shy." Timid yet piercing aqua blue eyes stare at the Swords of Darkness as Aneirin glances at them, showing her slightly gaunt but defined cheekbones.

"Try to keep up мальчиков," Kir comments, laughing as the fellow group show visible confusion at his Russian.

"In any case, are you prepared to depart?" Momon asks as he stands. Peter nods as he and his friends stand.

"Certainly, Mr. Momon," Peter replies. A scant few moments later, Momon leads the group down the stairs when they are intercepted by the guild clerk.

"Mr. Momon?" She asks, prompting them to stop as she deliberately avoids looking at Mer. "You and your party have been requested for a job." Mer raises an eyebrow as Momon wonders who could have asked for them, while Kir grins.

"Who could have requested us?" Momon asks incredulously.

"Mr. Nfirea Balear," she replies, gesturing to her left. The mutters around the room spread like wildfire as a blond boy steps out from the crowd. Nabe moves between Momon and the boy, face set in a sneer as her hand is on her sword. Mer doesn't even flinch as she yanks Nabe back, forcing Nabe's hand away from her sword.

"Calm down, Nabe. This is interesting, not threatening," Mer mutters to the girl, garnering a muted objection from the tense Doppelgänger.

"Hello," the boy says cheerfully. "I'm the one who requested your services!"

Kir grunts as he steps forward, "You're the kid from the potion shop. What do ya want?"

"Oh, hello again!" Nfirea replies, still smiling as he glances through his bangs.

"We're flattered that you've requested us, but we've already accepted another mission, perhaps another time," Momon says, cutting off further interaction.

"Mr. Momon, what are you doing?" Peter asks in disbelief. "This is a personal request!" Momon glances over his shoulder as Mer sighs and ushers her wards back up the stairs, predicting the next few minutes. Shi follows silently while Nabe waits with her Lords.

"That may be true, but finishing the job we've already accepted is common courtesy," Momon retorts calmly.

"But, a personal request," Peter begins, slightly impressed and a tad bewildered, prompting a sigh from the Warrior.

"How about this? We'll listen to what he has to say and then decide," Momon states, before turning to Kir. "Is that alright with you?"

"As long as the kid ain't as much of an ass as his бабушка, yeah no problem," Kir huffs and goes back up the stairs. Moments later, everyone has returned to the room and Nfirea stands at the end of the table with his patented smile.

"My name is Nfirea Balear," the boy says. "I am a pharmacist who works here in the city. Today, I need to go into the forest near Carne Village to gather herbs." Momon notes the village as Mer perks up curiously. "I would like you to guard me and help me collect the herbs during the trip."

"Guard you," Momon murmurs.

"I'm curious," Kir begins. "What herbs do you need? Yesterday when I came over to your shop, it looked like you had jars with probably all the herbs you might need."

"Unfortunately, recent events have stopped the trade for herbs," Nfirea explains. "So it's up to me to get what the shop needs for restocking. And since you did want to learn about alchemy I can offer you to join me, this way I can be both protected and you can learn a bit about the different ingredients in a potion." At the last bit, Kir smiles under his large beard.

"Hm, I thought I had to go to the alchemist guild," he comments.

"Well yes, but a small head start can do wonders." Nfirea tilts his head a little with a smile.

"Hey, мальчик. Do we have a set route where we kill monsters or can we do it on the way to the village?" Kir asks, looking at Peter.

Peter takes a few seconds before he realizes that the large man is asking him, "Oh… well, we can, though we aren't exactly sure of any locations of monsters towards that particular village. Not to mention this mission is directed towards you, we can't possibly butt in." Mer looks at Nfirea, before contacting Momon and Kir through Message.

"_Hundred Euros says he's after the way to make our potions,"_ she bets with her allies.

"_You do know we don't have Euros here, right?_" Kir comments.

"_Do you doubt my ability to get some?" _She asks as Momon replies to Peter.

"On the contrary, I would like to hire you as help," Momon informs the Swords of Darkness as he turns to Nfirea. "None in my party have the skills of a ranger, which will be instrumental in a situation like this, and the abilities of a Druid like Mr. Woodwonder would be most helpful."

"_I have a feeling you are correct, Mer,"_ Momon replies.

"_Yeah no, the kid has to do a lot of work for me to trust him with my potion-making,_" Kir says. Mer huffs a chuckle at that as she rubs Alloralla's head, trying to calm the young elf around quite so many swords.

"Mmm, you possess keen insight, Master Momon," the Druid replies.

"I don't mind at all," Lukrut replies.

"I have no objections to it either," Nfirea says.

"I have but one question," Momo says as he turns to Nfirea. "Why did you request us? We are new in town and..." he takes a quick glance at Kir and Mer. "We have no real repute in the adventurers guild."

"Oh, well I heard a few rumors actually," Nfiria begins. "One of my customers actually told me about you, Sir Knight. She told me you were able to single-handedly defeat an adventurer of a higher ranking than you. And since the group I usually request is unavailable I thought I would hire you. And also it's cheaper to hire a copper plate."

Kir chuckles. "Smart one at least," he murmurs under his breath.

"Anyone have any more questions?" Nfirea asks.

"Yeah, why Carne in particular?" Mer asks as she pulls the smaller elf into her lap.

"Well there is one herb I have to gather that only grows in thicker forests," Nfirea explains. "Usually you have to go deep into the woods to get it, but the forest around the village is already pretty thick, so I just need maybe a 30-minute search around the outer edge to find the herb I need. It's called Verdant Nettle, usually hard to spot since it's rather close to the ground."

"Huh," Mer says as she leans back. "Well, I'm fine with this if you two are." The woman leans back as she pets the elf in her lap, almost treating her diminutive form as a cat.

"No objections on my part, Momo is the one who decides though." Kir comments.

"We shall accept the commission," Momon states. Nfirea's smile widens a tad at his words.

"Well then, let us depart. I'd like to be at Carne as soon as possible," Nfirea replies.

* * *

"So, you can just 'summon' stuff like this?" Kir asks.

"Yes," Ninya answers as he ties a chain between the cart and the horse they brought. "It's called creation magic. You can make all sorts of things like salt and sugar. Then there are spells such as Alarm that warn you of nearby dangers."

"Sounds useful," Momo comments.

Mer hums as she runs a brush through Alloralla's hair while keeping an eye on Aneirin, who continually glances around the party.

"Something the matter, Aneirin?" The Angel asks, pausing momentarily to work out a knot in Allo's hair. The elder elf coughs as she glances down.

"Just uncomfortable being around quite so many humans," the girl mumbles, making Alloralla tense where she sits as Aneirin realizes her potential insult. "N-not that I'm ungrateful, I-I just-!" Mer cuts her off with a chuckle.

"It's fine. With the way humans have treated you, I can't expect you to be perfectly comfortable around me or anyone here," Mer replies, before looking around conspiratorially and then beckoning her wards to lean in closer. "But," she whispers. "I'll be honest and say I'm no more human than you." She winks at the two young elves, who stare at her in surprise, even as she resumes brushing the smaller one's hair. "Anyways, you'll get used to us at some point, I think."

"That's ridiculous!" Nabe yells, making Mer flinch as she glances over, to see the Doppelgänger completely blood red as she yells at Lukrut.

"HAHAHA! And what if I said we were?" Kir's voice booms, the already blushing maiden turning into an even brighter shade of tomato. Mer's eyes narrow at the side of Kir's head, the man studiously ignoring her.

"B-b-but m-my-" before Nabe could continue Lukrut interrupts her.

"Not really gonna be surprised, she does seem to follow you and Sir Momon closely," the ranger says before his eyes go wide. "Don't tell me he is involved too!"

Thankfully Momon is close enough to interject as Kir laughs, "That is not true. I fear my companion is just having a jest." Kir still laughing, is barely standing up while Mer rolls her eyes and returns her attention to the small elf sitting before her.

"Ah, so you're saying there's a chance?" Lukrut's eyes brighten.

"No," Shi answers for her blushing aunt. "I'm afraid she's far too dutiful to be wasting time with a flirt such as yourself." Nabe simmers down as Shi places a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. Lukrut naturally does not take the hint well.

"Mm, well perhaps you'd care to grant me that date then, Shi?" Lukrut asks as he falls to a knee and grabs the dark-skinned girl's hand.

"Leave Shi alone, Mr. Lukrut," Mer calls from where she sits, eyes shifting from the lock of hair draped on her hand to the ranger. "She is not interested." A mere moment more and Lukrut bows before the Angel herself, making the woman resist smirking as Kir's laughs resound again.

"Well, perhaps you might be willing to give me a chance, beautiful?" He asks with a roguish grin. "I confess, the moment I laid eyes on you, I couldn't believe how my heartfelt! Would you grant me the honor of a date?" Kir falls over from laughter, his voice growing higher in pitch the longer he laughs, as Peter moves to intercept his teammate. Mer just looks at the ranger, her smirk now formed.

"So when you couldn't flirt with one woman, you tried with her niece," Mer lists, making Lukrut blink in shock. "Then when I intervened on my daughter's behalf, you thought it would be a good idea to flirt with me?" Lukrut pales as Mer raises an eyebrow, Kir gasping for air in the background. "How very charming of you."

Momon lets out a cough at this point, turning his head away while Peter slaps Lukrut upside the head.

"I'm so sorry, he doesn't know when to control himself sometimes-!" Peter begins when the ranger holds up a hand.

"They're on the move," Lukrut states, looking over his shoulder, prompting the rest of the party sans Kir to look over as well.

"Get up, ya carpet," Mer says as she stands. "Aneirin, Alloralla, get in the cart. We'll need you to be a little out of the way."

"Ye ye, I'm getting up," Kir says in between deep breaths while standing from the ground. Looking at what everyone else is he chimes in. "Don't remember 'em being that ugly, damn… and are those fucking goblins? Fucking really?"

"Nfirea, stay with the kids in the cart. Swords of Darkness, stay behind and protect him, get any stragglers that may pass us," Momon calls out orders before Peter can even open his mouth. "Kir, you're our wall, make sure they don't get past you."

"Got it, boss man," Kir grins, pulling out his shield and spear.

"Mer, take the left flank, I'll take the right," Momon says, pulling out his swords. "Nabe, Shi, stand behind Kir but not close enough to impair his actions. Shi, wear them down, Nabe, use your lightning to strike anything trying to attack from the sides." The two girls nod as they position themselves behind Kir.

The moment they are done, like a well-oiled machine they charge into battle. Kir in the lead, smashing his weapon against his shield.

"OI UGLIES, OVER 'ERE!" He yells at the oncoming band of ogres and goblins.

That seems to do the trick as most of them focus on the rather small, in comparison to the ogres, form annoying them.

One of the Ogres, more confident than the rest of his brethren, undoubtedly more stupid, charges ahead of the band and goes to strike the tiny man in front. Only for his club to hit the ground in front as the man is now in the air, spear poised to strike as Kir yells, "LIGHTNING STRIKE!"

As he impales the Ogre in the chest, it takes a few moments before a large discharge of electricity is sent from the spear and into the Ogre, cooking it for a good 2 seconds before Kir slams his shield in the face of the beast, pushing it back and dislodging his spear.

On his left, Mer, with the grace of a dancer, easily dodges the club of another dull-witted monster. With a jump she lands on its club and runs up its arm and vaults over its head in a frontflip, simultaneously drawing one of her blades and cutting through its skull. She finishes her flip and lands with grace as her blade falls back into its sheath, the beast falling bonelessly.

Off to Kir's right, Momon, with his two rather large swords, jumps at an incoming ogre. In an instant, he cleaves it in two, the body bloodily separating as he lands behind it.

The Swords of Darkness take up positions at Peter's discretion as Nabe chants and strikes several Goblins with lightning spells. Shi casts a wide Plague spell, slowly sapping the health of any goblins within reach.

The Swords of Darkness watch in awe as Momon moves to slice through two more Ogre's in quick succession, Mer chuckling as she dances through a field of goblins, decapitating several with ease while Kir takes an Ogre's strike on his shield, casually stomping on a nearby goblin before carving a hole in the Ogre's stomach.

Within moments, the spell Shi cast has the rest of the goblins on the ground as the final Ogre drops his makeshift club and turns to flee.

"Nabe!" Mer calls with a grin. The dark-haired girl charges her magic and points a hand at the fleeing form.

"Lightning," she states simply as an arc of energy sears through it, sending it careening to the ground. The Swords of Darkness stare at them in awe as Nfirea watches from his cart.

"Amazing," Peter breathes. "They're incredible. Far beyond what we can do anyways. Could they be Adamantite level?"

"Well, that was over quick," Kir comments in the distance. "I expected more of a fight, but I guess when you're that ugly you just wanna die as quick as possible, HA!" Mer lets out a snort as she casually tosses goblins affected by Shi's spell into a pile.

"Perhaps. Perhaps they just felt so depressed by life that they thought we'd be more merciful," the Angel comments.

"I could have been softer had I known, if only they had enough brainpower to talk," Momon says from the side, prompting Kir to laugh.

"They just act like the ogres and the goblins were nothing more than a roach that climbed on the table while they were having a laugh," Lukrut whispers to his team.

"That is simply how strong they are," Shi comments as she steps over to the cart, glancing in to see the two elves lying down obediently. "There are few who can stop them when they're alone, let alone all together."

"Soo… do they have like pockets or pouches or… OH COME ON," Kir shouts as he accidentally lifts the wrong part of the pants on one of the ogres. "SOMEONE GIVE ME A KNIFE, I NEED TO GOUGE MY FUCKING EYES OUT!"

"Ooh, let me!" Mer calls as she draws her blade again, swinging fast as she slams the side of her sword against Kir's skull.

A few seconds of recovery and a few swears in a language only Mer could understand, Kir manages to stop his eyes from spinning in different directions.

"Oooh, thanks for that, I think I forgot the thing I saw… oh no nevermind it's still in front of me, what a shame," he says. Mer blinks as the insult registers.

"Wow, didn't think you hated yourself that much," she comments before slamming the pommel of her sword into Kir's head.

"OI!" Kir grabs the side of his head. "I was just joking ya crazy twat, no need to get actually physical." Mer goes to hit him again, much to the consternation of the Swords of Darkness and Nabe, when Momon speaks up.

"That's enough, both of you," he states, exasperation clear in his voice. Mer sheathes her sword with a huff before heading back to the wagon, casually casting a regeneration spell on Kir.

"Well, let's collect the proof," Peter says as Mer walks past him, he and his fellow teammates taking matching daggers off of their belts and moving towards the slain monsters.

"Don't go near the pile of goblins mother made unless you wish to die painfully," Shi warns while Mer goes to fetch the elves and Nfirea.

"Being defensive of one's kills is not necessary here, Lady Mer," Dyne says with a frown. "We all-."

"I'm warning because my spell is infectious, even from corpses. You'd die painfully within minutes if it reached you," the dark-skinned girl interrupts, making the Swords of Darkness gulp.

"U-understood," Peter stammers.

Kir sits down, his back against the front wheel of the cart and begins to clean up his spear. Mid-way in a wipe he stops and says, "Sorry about that Mer… you know comparing you to the nob of an Ogre." Mer hums as she pulls the smaller elf in front of her again and takes her comb back out.

"Eh, hardly the worst insult I've been called," she comments. "Sides, I'm hardly fussed, otherwise your head would be on the ground over there."

Kir chuckles before he replies, "You and I both know it takes more than a swing to take me down. A lot more. You'd have better luck getting Momo in bed with a woman."

Shi shakes her head in dismay as she walks over to the goblins she killed, calmly holding a hand up and purifying the bodies.

Momon watches with interest as Ninya goes to one of the trolls he killed and cuts its ear off.

"Ninya," he calls, getting the boy's attention. "Is there some value in cutting off its ear?"

"Well no, not on its own," the boy informs the warrior. "But if you exchange these at the guild, you get a reward from the city."

"I see," Momon muses.

* * *

The evening light bathes the sky in a beautiful purple hue, entrancing Mer where she sits. The large group made camp on the side of the road and are in the process of having dinner. Which in Kir's case means devouring it like water, and in Momon's case looking at it and wondering what the fuck he is gonna do with his portion.

"Hooooly shit!" Kir says after his second bowl of soup. "I haven't eaten something this good since… well since my grandma passed away!"

"We appreciate that you like it, Mister Kir," Peter comments with a smile. "But I'm afraid we don't have enough for your rather large appetite."

"Nah don't worry kid, two bowls is enough, don't wanna be greedy now do I?" Kir chuckles.

"Is there a problem Sir Momon?" Ninya asks. "You haven't touched your dinner."

"Oh… no, it looks good but…" he pauses and looks at Nabe who also hasn't touched her food. "Our religious teachings forbid me from eating food on a day we take another's life," Momon explains.

"You believe in such interesting teachings Master Momon," Dyne comments, before looking at Mer, who happily eats as her eyes memorize the picture above her. "But I suppose they are only true for you and Miss Nabe, correct?"

"Yes my comrades do not follow them," Momo says. "Especially not the hairy one." The comment forces an involuntary snort from Mer who sits with the two elf girls next to her, both of whom are also trying to stifle laughs.

"Well, at least I have hair Momo, under that, you might as well just be skin and bones, HA!" Kir laughs, followed by Momo and Mer, the rest of their group chuckling at the banter.

A few minutes pass before Kir gets up from his seat.

"Hey Nabe, come with me for a minute," he beckons as he passes her. She nods and gets up and follows obediently as Shi leans in to whisper into Mer's ear, the Angel tearing her eyes from the sky and following her swiftly after.

Going far enough that the other couldn't hear them, or at least hoping that is the case, Kir sits down on the ground and stares at the sky. Nabe sits next to him as he sighs.

"I have to apologize, Narberal," Tir says.

"There is nothing for you to apologize for, my lord," Narberal replies instantly, brow furrowed.

"You say that, yet that joke earlier seemed like it hurt you," Tirdak comments as he looks at her.

Realizing what her lord is referring to, Narberal blushes slightly, "Oh, m-my lord that is-!" Before she can continue Tir interrupts her,

"That was me being an ass and having a laugh at your expense. Now usually I don't excuse myself for my jokes, but I feel like I may have hurt your feelings, so I must apologize."

"NO!" Narberal says a bit louder than she wanted to, "I mean, you did not hurt my feelings my lord it's just..."

"It's exactly that though, you practically turned red like a tomato. So I am saying, I am sorry for that joke, it will not happen again, I did not wish to hurt you," Tir insists.

"It's completely fine, my lord. It was an honor being called your wife, even if as a joke," Narberal admits with a flush. "Even though Lady Albedo and Lady Shalltear are so transfixed on Lord Momonga, many of the female denizens have taken a strong liking to you, My Lord." Tir blinks in surprise.

"I… was not aware of this, I suppose I need to be careful with the jokes I do. Especially that one. Still, I am honored you ladies see me in such a light," Tir smiles at Narberal. "Now come on, let's go back to the others before my brain decides to do stupid shit or you explode from awkwardness." Nabe nods as Kir makes to leave before a Message reaches both of them.

"_Lord Tirdak," _Demiurge's smooth voice calls, startling Tir.

"_Ah, fuck... Why does everyone feel the need to scare the living shit out of me with this damned spell? What do you want Demiurge?_" Tirdak asks, beckoning for Nabe to go back to the group without him.

"_My apologies, My Lord, but Seikatsu has informed me of some foreboding news,"_ the demon states. "_I was asked by Seikatsu to inform you."_

"_What for?"_

"_An unknown group has been marching up from the south, likely from the Slaine Theocracy, and has come into contact with your herds and Seikatsu's spies," _Demiurge states. "_More than fifty of your beastmen were killed and half as many of the angels as well. In response to this threat, Lady Mörderin has raised the security levels of Nazarick, and I have dispatched another member of Nazarick to your position, so that every Supreme Being may have an escort at all times."_

"_Fuck… I will deal with that when we get back to the Tomb. Who did you send?" _Tir asks, seething.

"_Seikatsu informed me that discretion is required for this mission,"_ Demiurge states. "_To that end, I sent one of the few members of Nazarick with a positive disposition to the human vermin. She should be waiting for you at Carne Village, whenever you see fit to arrive."_

"_Didn't realize someone from Nazarick actually gave a shit about others, aside from me, Mör, and Momo," _Tirdak muses dryly, thinking about his herd.

"_We, of course, care about all the members of Nazarick, it is simply that the Supreme Beings are more important than all of the Great Tomb," _Demiurge replies smoothly. "_However, some members of the Tomb, such as the Head Butler, do care for the vermin as well."_

"_Demiurge, I will talk to you about your choice of words when I get back, for now… fuck off!"_

"_I-of course, My Lord!"_ Demiurge says, slightly shocked as the Message cuts.

"_My Lord, Sir Demiurge is only following the mind Lord Odle gave to him," _Seikatsu says quietly in Tirdak's mind as he makes his way over to the group again. "_It's hardly his fault own fault he dislikes humans so much."_

"_Well aren't you smart Sei," _Tir snarls sarcastically as he reaches the camp and sits heavily on his log. "_Yes, I know he acts this way, because ol' Ulbert made him act like it, doesn't mean I like it. And I'm also a bit… annoyed at the moment, so please keep your opinions to yourself for the time being."_ Shi doesn't look up from her soup as she cuts the Message.

Mer glances at Kir with a raised eyebrow as she dabs a handkerchief along Aneirin's mouth, the thirteen-year-old futilely objecting as the remnants of her meal are wiped from her face.

"_You seem pissed," _Mer comments with a new Message as she turns to reply to a question the Swords ask her.

"_КУРВА! CAN'T YOU PEOPLE JUST LEAVE ME TO MY THOUGHTS FOR 5 FUCKING SECONDS?"_

"_Nope,"_ Mer replies without missing a beat. "_I'm your best friend, bugging you till you're feeling better is my job."_

"_Ah yes, friendship… some of my herd got killed and I am pissed… and for some fucking reason, everyone thinks we need more fucking escorts. For now, we have found no one that has even come close to a Maid in terms of power, and I am pretty sure if one turns up I can outlive them by sheer fucking will," _The pissed Minotaur retorts.

"_True," _Mör replies as she holds a conversation, distracting the group from Tir's plight. "_But really, this is less for us and more for them. Besides, Momo does have a point when he says that we may have just encountered weaklings. Narberal is the strongest of the Pleiades, and Seikatsu can handle almost anything you could, but the chance remains that we've not encountered strong people. Besides, nearly seventy-five of our NPC's servants were killed by a single group of an undetermined size." _Mer chuckles at the paltry flirting Lukrut sends her way. "_I don't recall how strong our forces were, but we may need caution, and it's best to have and not need." _

"_Caution and you? In one sentence? That's not something I expected to hear. And FUCK caution, someone is gonna pay for killing, MY, HERD!"_

"_And they will,"_ Mör states, surprising Tir with the sheer venom. "_But we should not act carelessly. When we find them, Tirdak, we will fall on them like the hand of God and obliterate them for daring to harm those under our watch. But, we must be cautious. This is not a game anymore. We can still die."_

"_Show me who can kill us, only then I will be afraid. But if they can't beat fucking Victim, I will go and slaughter them like fucking sheep," _Tirdak retorts.

"_We shall see, Tir," _Mör replies, smirking as she rubs Shi's head, the girl sulking next to her. "_And look at the bright side. If whoever is coming after us is part of a nation or even the strongest of a nation, you'll have a fuck ton of people split open and feed to your herd." _Mör pauses a moment. "_Do beastmen eat humans?"_

"_I dunno… maybe?" _Tir says. Shi nods, though it doesn't stop Mer from petting her.

"Sir Kir," Dyne calls in a lull in the conversation, garnering the attention of the group. "Has something happened? You've been rather discontent."

"Fly flew right into my mouth, disgusting little fuckers I tell ya," Kir replies with a scowl. Mer laughs at her friend's plight.

"Only you could open your mouth so wide that a fly couldn't miss!" She jeers with a smirk, finally removing her hand from Shi's head. "You really ought to keep it closed more often!"

"How about I close your face with that tree over there? It might be good to get some wood in your mouth and shut up for once in your life," Kir shoots back. The woman sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"Ugh, no thanks!" The woman replies. "Unless it's Ninya's, I guess." The Angel turns to the young adventurer who blinks in shock and blushes horribly as the tall woman winks at him.

"Hey, look at you, Ninya!" Lukrut teases, elbowing his friend with a sly grin. "You are making moves better than I am, eh?" The blushing boy objects heavily, making his friends laugh as Mer herself chuckles.

"Well I'm off to bed, see you lot in the morning," Kir says as he gets up to a chorus of good nights.

The rest swiftly follow in his footsteps, Momon volunteering for night watch.

* * *

"And this one is very common, it's the-," Nfirea is cut off by Kir.

"Wild Sageroot, yes I know it. I told you earlier kid, I know of the common plants, I know their uses, what I don't know is _how_ to turn them into potions," Kir says in annoyance as he carefully extracts the plant from the ground.

"That's… actually pretty well done, good job on the extraction, but you need to-!"

"To separate the leaf from the root, because if I don't do it, the leaf will extract any and all useful things from the root to try and survive, thus making the actual part we need completely useless? Yes, I know that too," Kir interrupts.

"I suppose you are more knowledgeable than I thought, forgive me for my mistake, Sir Kir," the alchemist boy says as he bows slightly.

"No problem kid, now do we have a place to throw away the leaves?" Kir says as he gestures at the small pile of dark green leaves.

"Oh, we can make some pretty nice tea from them actually," Nfirea says picking them up

"Wait what? Tea? That actually makes sense, the leaf has a similar use to the root, it just doesn't last long enough for potion-making, so-," Kir says before he is cut off.

"We can turn it into tea, if we are fast enough you just might create a tea that can heal wounds-," Nfirea continues.

"But the leaves die out in a matter of minutes so you need to have tea already going otherwise it's just… well tea from Wild Sageroot leafs," Kir finishes.

"It's still good tea, the flavor is surprisingly sweet," says the boy. A moment later, two dainty hands clap onto the boy's shoulders, shocking him.

"You know how to make leaf water?" Mer asks with excitement in her eyes.

"It's not _just_ leaf water ya goose. It's a tea that has the potential to have the properties of-!"

"LEAF WATER!" Mer shouts as she grabs the leaves.

"OI, GIVE THOSE BACK, I AM GONNA MAKE TEA OUTTA THAT!" Kir shouts as he tries to grab the leaves. Mer dances back as she brings out a pot from the ether, before sidling you go Nfirea.

"Please make the leaf water," she says, the shifting colors of her eyes dazing the boy, who takes the pot and leaves.

"Wait… you actually wanted some tea?" Kir says a bit confused, realizing he misread the situation. Mer looks at him with a scandalized expression.

"What, I can't like both beer and tea?" The Angel asks, much to the amusement of Nfirea, who is setting the pot down on a fire Mer had prepared.

"I wanna say you are a schnitzel and beer type of gal… but we both know you don't like meat," Kir chuckles a little, receiving a flat stare for his troubles.

"So, you like tea, Miss Mer?" Nfirea asks, getting the Angel's attention. The nods with a smile.

"A friend of mine got me into it. She was-," Mer begins, looking off to the side.

"Insane, had a thing for stabbing, was probably a cannibal and almost cut off your… tits." Kir says, making everyone stare at Mer in varying levels of horror, pity, and disgust.

"Ah, I mean, most women I sleep with are kinda crazy, so, I guess?" Mer admits sheepishly, with the Swords of Darkness staring at her with increasing surprise or disgust.

"There was also that one that wanted to cut you so she can worship some god of hers, but she also wanted to fuck you at the same time," Kir muses.

"Lady Mer, please I must be hearing things wrong," Dyne says, frowning as Mer looks at him. "But do you mean to tell me you have been in bed with other women?"

"It is so much worse than that if you look at it from my perspective, but yeah, that about sums it up," Mer confesses shamelessly, making Dyne balk slightly. "There a problem with two women shagging each other in these parts?"

"They just haven't watched, trust me they won't be so judgemental afterward, HA!" Kir laughs

"Hey, Ninya, wanna demonstrate with me?" Mer calls teasingly, making the adventurer blush.

"Huh?" Lukrut says, confused. "You just mention sleeping with women, but you now wish to sleep with a guy? You're confusing me here, beautiful." Mer blinks, before fluidly smiling.

"Well, with how effeminate he is, I can't help it," she says casually. "He's just so cute."

"There is an opportunity for a joke here, but I value my private parts too much so I shall stay silent… hey look, a beetle," Kir says picking up the small insect. Nfirea, who has said nothing but was looking at Mör curiously, returns to the tea, finishing it after a few moments.

"Mer, Kir, shouldn't you both be looking for herbs for Mr. Nfirea?" Momon asks, his arms crossed. Mer sighs at the instruction.

"I don't know how to get them out of the ground, Momo," she objects.

"Only roots are taken outta the ground ya duck, and not all- OOH tea!" Kir's rant is cut short by an offering of tea by Nfirea.

* * *

The group walks along, Mer cheerily humming as she looks at the new wall around the settlement of Carne.

"Did not know small villages needed fucking 4 meter tall walls…" Kir comments.

"Those weren't here the last time I came to Carne!" Nfirea says from the cart.

"Is that so?" Momon muses. "Mer, do you recall them?" The woman shakes her head.

"Nah, they weren't there when Shi and I were here," she replies casually, noting the various signs of creatures in the area.

"We should probably head down and see what's happened," Peter says, frowning as his brow furrows.

"Thank you Captain Obvious, I thought we might have another tea break, while we stare at the wall that was supposedly not there A FUCKING WEEK AGO!" Kir suddenly lashes out, surprising the group.

"Kir!" Momon rebukes. "Control your temper! The Swords of Darkness agreed to help us, they did not have to come along, but they did. Show some respect for that."

"Oh, I am sorry Sir Knight. But yall are losing your shit over A FUCKING WALL. The fucking wall was built, it was built by the people, the gods didn't fucking decide to just plop it there. So if everyone can stop acting like suddenly the moon turned orange it would be swell. So now like normal fucking people, let's go and knock on the large ass door, whaddya say?" Kir asks scathingly. Mer looks at him as both Nabe and Shi tense, while the Swords of Darkness watch on in shock.

"How about you and the rest go on, Momo?" Mer suggests. "I'll take grumpy here and we'll go kill some things, alright?" Before anyone can properly reply, the lady has Kir's arm in her hand and drags him bodily into the woods. "We're agreed then!"

Mere seconds later, the two vanish into the woods and traverse as fast as Mer can drag the large man behind her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Mer asks after they go a bit into the woods.

"The fuck you mean, what's wrong with me? Everyone was looking at that wall like it was made by fucking Satan or some shit. I'm serious it's just a-!" Kir tries to explain before being cut off.

"Not that you bloody idiot. Why are you acting like an ass, even more than usual? Not to mention the amount of magical energy you are leaking, you are scaring almost everyone who can sense worth a damn with that," the Angel returns evenly. Tir huffs before replying.

"Oh, well if you need to know. Momo is driving me up the wall with all his talk like he is some supreme ruler when everyone in the guild knew that the 'Guild Leader' position was nothing short of an over-glorified accountant role. For some reason you decided to spike up the Tomb by increasing the 'security level' so I am probably gonna get even less time to myself than before, considering your ravens have been following me for the past fucking week, maybe even more, but I was too busy to notice 'em being, quite literally, in my shadow up until yesterday," Kir stares behind him for a few seconds. "Oh and let's not forget, YOU AND MOMO COMMANDING, _MY, HERD_, because Vaankiz has been telling me your daughter has been poking him about information every 5 fucking minutes, about what is going on, and literally he has to come up with shit, cuz then she won't leave him be. But that's a debate for when we get back to the tomb. So can we go back to the others, or are you still gonna roll your eyes 50 more times?" Mer rolls her eyes.

"It took you this long to figure out Sei was watching you?" Mör comments dryly. "From what she told me, she told you to your face two or three days ago." She sighs as she flexes her hand, while Tir growls.

"And you shouldn't have had it watching me in the fucking first place!" He snarls at her, stepping forward menacingly, prompting a raised eyebrow.

"Is that so?" Mörderin asks nonchalantly. "I've had one following me, and so has Momo. You seem to be the only one who minds. Then again you're also the only one acting like a horny teen, so what can you do." The jab makes the already simmering man explode.

"Oh, and you think you can just do what you want without asking me if it's not bothering you?" He shouts, glaring down at the woman, who merely blinks, even as she casts a Message to Aura. "You spy on me, you try to command my herd, you hold me back when we should be going to find the people who killed some of them, and now you talk down to me? You're playing a dangerous game, Richter." Mör exaggeratedly rolls her eyes.

"Oh please, like a pissant like you could actually hurt me," she states, annoyance in her words, making Tirdak take a deep breath as his form expands to tower over the Angel as he retakes his true form. "Face it, _Boris, _you aren't cut out for a world like this. One so akin to our own that your optimistic brain can't handle the hate."

"Listen here, _pal, _if you keep talking down to me, I'll-!" The Minotaur begins before white wings sprout from Mör's back.

"Let's take this inside," she says, clenching her fist, and tackling her large ally through a Gate. A moment later, Tirdak grunts as he slams into the floor of the Sixth Floor Arena, and snarls as he gets to his feet.

He huffs angrily as he looks over to see Mörderin shucking her armor, leaving herself in a simple turtleneck and pair of tight-fitting pants. A moment later, she takes a simplistic stance.

"Come on then, let me beat that shitty attitude out of ya," the Angel calls scathingly.

Tirdak roars as he sees red, charging Mörderins small form and throwing a punch down at her. Mör blocks his meaty paw with her forearm, before stepping in and punching him in the gut, sending the breath from his lungs.

"You're really fucking angry at all of us today, Tir, something bothering you about us?" She calls as she meets his fist with her own, causing him to snarl as she stops him in his tracks.

"Maybe it's how you're trying to control everything without bothering to run it by me!" He shouts as his next punch catches Mörderin on her face, snapping her head back before she headbutts his fist, causing him to shout in shock. "Maybe it's the way you're doing nothing while MY FUCKING HERDS ARE DYING!" Mörderin dodges his next punch before jumping and slamming a fist into his chin, forcing him backwards as she flies near his head.

"Well, maybe I'm doing everything because you'd be less than useful right now!" The Angel yells back in frustration as she lands a devastating kick to Tirdak's chest, sending him off the ground. "Neither you nor Vaankiz are even close to useful for tracking! You made yourself to be able to take a hit, not get into the position to deal it!" The Minotaur gets off the ground with a yell of anger as he draws a silver axe from his inventory.

Mörderin stares in shock before glowing silver armor encompasses her form, gleaming iron blades being drawn from her own inventory.

"And then if that's what you see it as-!" The Minotaur yells as he takes a swing at the Angel, who dodges before returning with a slash of her own. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"I'm looking for them!" She snarls in rage. "I'm not drawing my strongest weapon against an ally!" The woman slams her blades against Kir's, pushing back as her wings flap, Tirdak drawing furrows in the earth as he tries to hold steady. "I already have Aura working on finding them, had Shi deploy more of her angels to find the people who killed your herd!" A moment later, she abandons her attack and rises to the ceiling of the Floor, before folding her wings as she dives at the Minotaur, who braces himself. "I'M TRYING MY FUCKING BEST!"

A moment later, a thunderous boom resounds as Mör crashes into Tir, her blades slamming against his axe. Tir growls as a bright white flash encompasses the area, and the sound of metal breaking accompanies a larger impact to the ground which sends the Minotaur off of his feet and kicks up a massive dust cloud.

"СУКА БЛЯДЬ!" The beastmen shouts as he gets up, waving away the dust around him. After a few moments of squinting, he calls out to his friend. "Oi! Where are you, you fucking pigeon!" Silence answers him as most of the dust around him clears. He looks around for the Angel but finds nothing until he hears the rush of footsteps on his left. He turns to see Aura running towards him with a slightly panicked expression.

"Lady Mörderin!" The Dark Elf calls as she approaches, making Tirdak look around again, not finding anything, and then down, where he spots a set of shining armor sticking out of the ground. He blinks for a moment, then starts to chuckle, and then laughs uproariously.

He grabs his sides as his axe falls to the ground as Aura fruitlessly tries to pull Mörderin out of the ground. After a few minutes of panic from Aura, Tirdak manages to regain himself enough to reach over and pull the woman's head out of the dirt, though he chuckles as he drops her onto the ground in Aura's care.

He rubs the bruise forming on his chest as he looks at Mör's comatose form.

"Aye, aye," Tirdak mutters to himself. "I guess I am being a bit of an ass. 'Specially if some dirt is all it takes to knock her out."

Taking out a healing potion, Tir pushes Aura aside and positions his best friend upright and pours the contents of the vial down her throat, "C'mon now Mörderin, I am being all apologetic, might as well give you one while you can hear me."

A second later a fist crashes into Tirdak's chin, making him bite his tongue.

Ten seconds of muffled cursing later, he manages to speak, though with a bit of a lisp, "I guesh I desherfed sthat one tsoo. We done acthing like idiotsh now?" Mör blinks at Tir blearily

"What did we just do again?" She asks, squinting in confusion.

Not getting up from his now laying position Tir huffs, "Acthing like children, inshtead of talking. So you know, the ushual."

"Lord Thunderhoof! Lady Mörderin!" Aura cries, eyes watering. "Are you both alright? What's caused you to fight each other like this?" Mör winces as she looks at the child and the memory of the past twenty minutes return, before patting the elf's head.

"Tir was being a dick."

"Shorry about that by the way. It's just… everything was a bit much for me. Next time tell me to remember thish conversation so I don't go ape shit again."

Mör waves her free hand dismissively.

"Next time you're a dick I'll just beat the shit out of you properly," she comments, before turning to glare at him. "And you fucking won't bring out the silver axe! We're supposed to beat the shit out of each other like proper civilized drunks!"

"Need I remind you, you were the one that knocked yourself out?" Kir lifts his head to look at Mör. "But yeah, kinda went overboard with the axe. That thing can hold itself pretty well against TouchMe's weapons so I guess using it to cool down might not be a good idea." That set off a thought in Mör, and she sits up to find her swords before she wilts pathetically with a grieved cry.

"Fuck you, you beast-man bastard," she cries loudly as she slumps over the broken forms of her swords.

"Did they break?" Tir gets up and stares at the swords. "Wait, aren't those the fucking starter ones you got ages ago?" Mör hangs over the swords, a depressive aura emanating from her as Aura watches in extreme confusion. "Oh come on..." Tir stands up, "They are like basic tier steel swords, we can get ya new ones if you like the design so much-."

"They're iron you bastard," Mörderin interrupts, depression cloud thickening.

"Oh so even worse..." Tir says, and after a few seconds, he grabs Mör by the shoulder. " Alright, how about this, we go and repair them. I ain't the best blacksmith in the guild but I know a little. So stop moping and let's go. Think of it as my apology for being a complete ass today." The invisible energy of Tirdak's encouragement aura washes over Mör.

A moment later, the swords are in a box and shoved into Tirdak's face.

"You have five days before I make your life hell on earth," the Angel threatens, before opening a Gate and smiling sweetly at Aura. "Don't worry about us, we're not trying to hurt each other, it's just that occasionally we will brawl with each other. Hopefully not in the next two bloody weeks though." A moment later, she dons her leather armor again and walks through her Gate.

"Sorry you had to see that Aura, have a nice day," Tir says quickly as he shoves the swords and his axe into his inventory, turning back into his human form and following Mer.

A few minutes later, Mer walks up to the town alongside Kir and raises an eyebrow when a pack of wolves surrounds them from the growing crops, snarling openly next to humanoid masters.

"Halt there, adventurers!" The leader calls, a man with black hair and dark brown eyes. "State your business in Carne Village!" After raising an eyebrow, Mer unfurls her wings from her back, making the men freeze in dismay before they retract. "Lady Mörderin! Our apologies for waylaying you!"

Mer smirks up at Kir, who crosses his arms with a huff, "Congrats, you got your angels not to kill us, such achievements, truly you are above us all."

"They aren't mine, they're Shi's," Mer counters as they walk closer to the gate. "Along with some wolves, probably courtesy of Aura or another beast tamer around Nazarick."

"Technically still yours, as Shi answers directly to you, like how my herd is technically led by Vaankiz but will take orders from me too," Kir says. Mer shrugs at the jab and glances over as they hear the pounding of somebody running to see Nfirea racing towards her, with Enri slightly behind him.

"Mer!" The girl shouts cheerily, waving. Mer waves in return as she grins.

"Enri!" The Angel shouts. "Good to see you!" She glances at Nfirea as he stops in front of her.

"Is it true you and Shi stopped an attack on Carne?" He asks breathlessly. Mer tilts her head.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" She queries, glancing between the boy and Enri, who waits impatiently nearby. The boy falls into a bow.

"Thank you so much for saving the Village!" He cries loudly, getting a raised eyebrow from Mer, who glances between the boy and girl again before grabbing onto Nfirea and moving off.

"Kir, that's Enri, Enri that's Kir, talk til we get back, okay?" Mer calls as she drags a surprised Nfirea off.

Rolling his eyes, Kir extends a hand towards Enri, "Nice to meet ya lass, I'm Kir. Hopefully, Mer hasn't been too much of a pain to the village."

Taking the large man's hand she smiles softly, "Oh no! In fact, she and her daughter have helped quite a bit. Aside from stopping our little town from being raided, they helped a lot in the fields."

"HA, guess you lucked out then. I've known her for… how long has it been now, 15 years? She isn't always such a sweetheart. Either that or being close to her means constant arguing for stupid stuff," Kir says with a huff, making Enri look at him curiously.

"Oh, are you by any chance her husband?" Enri asks, causing Kir to choke on the air itself.

"OH GOOD HEAVENS NO! If I was actually together with her, I'd have ripped my head off by now. No kid she is just… my best friend, however the fuck that is possible," Kir says after managing not to die from breathing the wrong way.

"Oh, I apologize for the presumption," Enri says with a giggle.

"Nah no need, presume all you like as long as you don't keep thinking the same thing after knowing the truth," Kir says as he rubs the back of his head. "Tell me, how do you know Nfirea?" Enri brightens a bit at the mention of the boy.

"Oh, he's a pharmacist that comes around every once in a while," Enri explains. "We first met when he delivered some potions to the village, and have since been quite good friends."

"That's good. Having friends in this world is important. But from the way, he acted just now..." Kir brushes his beard before continuing. "Yeah, that's probably it… probably what I would do as well…"

"Mr. Kir?" Enri asks curiously. "What are you talking about?" The giant of a man waves her questions away.

"Oh sorry, thinking out loud. But from the little I have spent with him, he never acted so… enthusiastically to a situation. Him being grateful to Mer for saving the village means he holds something here very dear, and I am not sure friendship is that high up," He muses as he turns to the girl. "So he is either, a - thankful because this town has easy access to otherwise hard to find potion ingredients or b - has something more important than a friend here… I am willing to bet it's option B, that means he probably has a sweetheart in town, probably you if he doesn't know any other lady in the village and judging from him being a potion maker, probably doesn't spend much time outside conversing with people… Or I am totally wrong and there is another reason, who knows." Kir smiles, even as Enri blushes slightly.

"That couldn't possibly be-!" Enri tries to object before Mer appears with a wide grin as her arm loops around Kir's as she shoves Nfirea at Enri.

"Well, Kir and I have to do stuff, so we'll talk later Enri!" Mer states as she drags the larger man off, much to his surprise. "Use a condom Nfirea!"

A few moments later, Kir finds himself hiding behind a nearby building as Mer hums chipperly.

"I don't think they have condoms invented yet," Kir says. "And why are we hiding like giddy teens that are… oh, oh I get it. Please tell me you didn't tell the boy to do something very stupid." Mer looks at Kir askance.

"Please, with how much Enri talked about her best friend 'Enfi' I don't think he can do anything wrong," Mer says dryly. "Besides, I just said I'd cuck him if he didn't take Enri for himself, so I told him if he hadn't gotten engaged to Enri by the time we leave I'd make sure he'd have a good view as I blew Enri's mind." Mer looks back at the two, seeing Nfirea stammer and blush incessantly. "From the way, it's looking right now, he won't, in fact, be able to do it. Hm. More for me then."

"Wow, real fucking mature of you mate. And here I thought you were an angel. Cuckolding a fucking kid? Are you for real? Do you know what that is gonna do to him mentally you fucking idiot?" Kir says, very much pissed. Mer glances at Kir with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay with using prostitutes but not with me doing what I do?" Mer asks with a roll of her eyes as she glances back to the twosome. "He'll be fine."

"Oh please, I was the best man they ever got in that place. Unlike the uncultured asshats that were there, I actually cared for my partner's pleasure… probably the best dick too, hehe," Kir chuckles like an idiot before scowling again. "But for real. I mentioned Nfirea might like the girl more than a friend, and she turned red like a tomato." Mer nods.

"I know," she says calmly.

"And you still threaten the boy, unbelievable. Unless you aren't actually going to act upon the threat," Kir says, narrowing his eyes at his friend.

"Oh I totally would, I just made sure I wouldn't be able to," Mer says as she watches the two depart, before turning back to Kir. "Y'see, this is an old-timey place, so it's likely if he wants Enri he has to ask her father, and I'd probably have to do that too." Mer waves her hand dismissively. "No thanks. So I knew he wouldn't do it now, but when he does my spell should help him not stammer at least." And with that, Mer walks off.

"With each day I am reminded that every guild member is a total psychopath. We have an angel that act's a bit like a devil, me that is a… something, and Momo the skeleton that tries to act evil… thank whatever fucking forces that brought us here didn't bring the rest of the guild, I just might have jumped off a cliff then." Kir talks as he follows his friend.

"I'm certain Lady Mer does not intend to vex you, Lord Kir," Yuri Alpha states as she falls in line behind her lord.

"AAAAH!" a not so manly scream comes from Kir as he jumps a little. After turning around to meet whoever scared him, he begins to rub the sides of his head. "Why does the entirety of Nazarick feel the need to scare the souls outta me? One day someone is gonna sneak up on me and are gonna get punched." Yuri bows apologetically.

"I apologize, My Lord," Yuri states. "It was not my intention to sneak up on you."

With a heavy sigh, Kir continues to walk, "I need a fucking break."

"Please permit me to accompany you, My Lord," the Dullahan requests.

"Not sure I have a choice in the matter," Kir says, gesturing for the maid to follow.

Shi glances at Kir as he walks off, before pursuing her mother.

"You fought with each other," she says when she reaches the black-haired angel, who climbed onto a roof to lie down.

"Yeeeeup," Mer says calmly as she cushions her head on her arms.

"Why?" Shi asks with a scowl.

"Because he was being a dick and needed some reminding that the rest of us aren't infallible or capable of getting instant results," Mer replies easily as she traces a cloud in the sky with her eyes. "And that he isn't either." Shi frowns at this when Mer shrugs. "Besides, he made you sad, and that's enough reason to hick his ass through the stratosphere."

"I had no right to question Lord Tirdak," Shi objects, making Mer sigh. "He was not wrong to-!"

"Do shut up," Mer states as her eyes fall shut. "I can't listen on Message, but I'm sure whatever you said wasn't worth such a rebuke that you become quite as sad as you are. Now come and lie down next to me. If I have to deal with you around as I nap I'll not have you hovering over me." Shi grits her teeth as she sits next to her mother, the Angel frowning when she notices the white-haired girl isn't looking.

_I will knock your teeth out one day Tirdak, _Mörderin thinks in annoyance.

* * *

_I will punch your face in one of these days for making me deal with an escort Mör,_ Tir thinks as he walks through the woods.

* * *

**AN:** And that's chapter…. Five(had to check, ngl.) over and done with. Perhaps some of it can be refined but that is what the comments are for. Review, critique the work we've done, make suggestions if you want, I shall read and reply to all of you equally. Except flamers. Because I don't like them. But tell us what ya think! See ya next time folks!-L38

_Hope you enjoyed it, even if Tir is acting all kinds of dumb-ass. Leave a review, Lambda is gonna respond cuz I'm a lazy bum… seriously if you have any kind of critique post it without fear_(or on second thought, PM one of us if you don't want it to be public, we're open to those too.-L38)_, we aren't gonna smack someone cuz they gave some advice or something about the story felt off to them. Lambda and I will discuss it, if needed we might re-write something, and of course, we can improve. See ya next time! -Radi._


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** We used to have a cliche chapter name. I still like it, but this one is better. The name might be slightly misleading, but eh, it's not like this is the meat of the story. No that's coming. And it's coming very soon.

Also, to the people who want more Momonga and more Momonga interactions, I have a question for you all. How much until you get sick?

Have fun reading, and please review. Adios!

-Lambda38

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Calm**

Momonga looks at his two friends as they sit across from each other in the Town Square, Mörderin engaged in with a blond girl while Tirdak sits with his eyes closed, mist swirling around his form. The Overlord sighs as he looks at them, wondering just how much the two had changed in the time since they'd last logged in.

"Is something the matter, Sir Momon?" Narberal asks from his side, making him repress another sigh.

"I told you Nabe, just Momon is fine," he reiterates. "But I'm simply concerned about the amount of tension between Kir and Mer. The two got along well before we ended up in this new world, and now that we're here the two have argued and fought more than I ever recall them doing so." Narberal looks down as she grits her teeth. "I can't help but wonder if this world grates on them more than it should."

"They do seem quite, tense. Especially recently. Lord Kir losing a part of his herd is visibly agitating him," Narberal says, receiving a nod from Momonga.

"Yes. They aren't natural spawns of Nazarick, so every one he loses is gone forever," Momonga muses. "That agitation is warranted, even if the way he directs it towards myself and Mörderin is unwarranted." Momonga shakes his head. "Regardless, I know Mer has had Demiurge and Aura working around the clock with Shi's angels to find and eliminate the group who are hunting his herd, so I wonder why he is still so angry."

"Lord Kir does seem, frustrated in a way. It leaves me to wonder if some of us did something to displease him," Nabe says. "My Lord, can I ask… why does Lord Kir not like being referred to as 'Lord'?" Momonga lets out a hum.

"Probably because he doesn't see himself as a person worthy of the title of lord," the Overlord replies. "Doesn't see himself as somebody who should be called lord because he isn't noble or someone who has done anything worth being called lord." Momonga shrugs. "Or perhaps he is just fond of everyone in the Tomb and doesn't want to make himself seem unapproachable." Momonga sighs again, and waits for a reply, before glancing at Narberal to see her looking quite consternated. "Still, Mer doesn't seem to be taking all this well herself."

"Do you believe there is something the Guardians or I and the other Pleiades can do for Lord Kir or big si- Lady Mer?" Narberal asks, looking up at Momonga. Momonga looks back at her before looking back at the two.

"Continue doing what they ask to the best of your abilities, but they're both stubborn people," he replies. "If they don't want to accept help, they won't." Narberal's head bows in sorrow. "That said, Mer is quite fond of you. If you ask her to explain, ask her to let you help and tell her why you want to help, she might listen." After a moment of thought, he speaks again. "And it's possible CZ Delta could get Kir to talk about his frustrations. However, I stand by waiting for them to come to you. They will come around. They just need time to realize they must."

"I see. I shall speak with my sisters. Thank you for the advice Lord Momon," Narberal says. Momonga doesn't reply as the mist around Tirdak dissipates and the hulking man opens his eyes. Momon makes his way over to his friend.

"Kir," he says as he sits next to his friend, giving a nod to Yuri, who stands nearby. "Are you calm?"

"Yeah, I'm good Momo," Kir answers with a smile. "Turns out the spirit world and talking to some souls can help out quite a bit." He says with a lowered voice. Momon nods.

"That's good," he replies. "We can't afford to be rash, but neither can we afford inaction." He looks at Kir. "Should we recall your herds to Nazarick? I know losing any of them isn't easy, but it may not be wise to let them continue exploring if there are so many risks."

"Probably a good idea, it's just… when I sent them out it was out of instinct, the Tomb isn't exactly a place for creatures of nature," Kir says as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "Also didn't think anyone would fuck with them considering the area was just a massive forest, might talk to Vaankiz later, I have a few things in mind for the protection of the herd." Momon nods.

"Right then," Momon says. "I'll send a Message to Vaankiz to retreat back to the entrance of the Tomb for now. When we finish this mission, you should have some time to speak with him."

"Yeah, yeah," Kir says. "On other topics, what are we gonna be doing now?"

"I'm not sure. If the elves Mer adopted weren't here, I'd say we should rush the mission and head out to investigate ourselves, but since they are it might be too risky, especially since Mer doesn't appear to be willing to take them to the Tomb," Momon muses. "For now, we'll finish our mission, and then you and I will return to Nazarick where we will hear what information Aura and Demiurge have gathered and act accordingly."

"Alright, sounds good. Hope we finish in the next few days, Mer is gonna kill me if I don't fix her fucking swords," Kir chuckles, making Momon look at him in confusion.

"Swords?" He asks. "Did you two actually fight each other?"

"Yeah, I was being an ass again," Kir says looking at Mer. "Gotta try and be less of that in the future, getting a bit tired fighting with her all the time… heh, still feels strange using that word."

"Calling Mer 'her?'" Momon asks. "I suppose it is quite strange, though personally, I feel you or I are a bit more so."

"I feel like we need a bit of a deeper talk about that when we get a day off, when we are in private of course," Kir says. "Though I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious how they would react to who, what and where we ummm… ya know." Kir glances at the two nearby maids before he taps his chest. Momon quickly shakes his head.

"Hardly important, wouldn't you say, Kir?" Momon urges.

Kir clears his throat, "Yeah, yeah… just some random thought. Or maybe the spirits are fucking with me, ha!" Yuri looks over.

"Are you quite alright, My Lord?" She asks. Kir looks at her and shakes his head, glancing over her rather simple outfit.

She wears a black long sleeve turtleneck which covers her normal collar, as well as a short black skirt and black stockings.

"I'm fine Yuri, no need to worry. Just trying to distract myself from recent events. And stop with the Lord stuff, here at the very least, please." Kir says.

"As you wish," she says slowly, bowing.

"Sir Momon, Sir Kir, Miss Nabe," Peter calls as he walks closer to them with Lukrut at his side. "Nfirea is about ready to complete his herb collecting and head back to E-Rantel. Are you all ready?" The boy glances at Yuri curiously but doesn't comment as the two men stand.

"Yes," Momon says. "We're ready." He turns to look at Mer, who still happily chats with a now blushing Enri. "Mer!" The Angel looks over, interrupted from her teasing. "It's time to go." A moment later, Mer gives Enri a pat on the head and walks over to the group with a smile.

"Okay," she says.

"Careful, don't wanna open the floodgates in public," Kir says as he grins. Mer waves her hand dismissively.

"Nah, Nfirea did that last night," she says as she glances at Yuri. "Also, hello Yu, nice to see ya!"

"Good morning, Mer," Yu says with a small smile. Momon notices the looks of confusion on Peter and Lukruts faces.

"Yu is one of Mer and Nabe's sisters," he explains to the two boys, surprising them. "She was supposed to arrive at E-Rantel with us but we were separated. Fortunately, she stayed here, so we met up rather easily."

"I see," Peter murmurs as Lukrut smiles. "Well, I suppose we should get going.

"Yes, preferably before your friend tries to flirt with her," Momon jests, making Lukrut squawk, though he grins through it.

"Alright, let's go," Kir says as he goes towards the entrance of Carne. Mer rolls her eyes as the group follows the spear wielder, even as Enri walks next to her. A few minutes later, the group finds Nfirea with the rest of the Swords of Darkness. The boy looks over, his smile widening slightly when he sees Enri.

"So, are you all ready to go?" He asks from his seat behind the horses.

"Yep," Mer replies as she hops up next to him, winking down at Enri. "I think we're all ready."

"Yeah, let's go before I go to sleep from sheer boredom," Kir chuckles.

"Or Enri decides to delay Nfirea with the next generation," Mer teases, making both addressed flush horribly, as the group chuckles in response, even as Lukrut elbows Nfirea.

"Look at you, getting girls so soon after my advice!" The man jests, making Nfirea hide his face behind his bangs.

"Oh by the spirits, boy don't take advice from that lanky lad, trust me if you need any help just ask me!" Kir says with a large grin.

"Hey, I give good advice," Lukrut objects with a grin.

"I think I'd rather take advice from Mer than you Kir," Momon snipes mirthfully, making the group burst out laughing.

"I mean you can, but I think that maybe the main reason why you are still without a gal by your side," Kir jabs. Mer chuckles along as Nfirea says goodbye to Enri and gets the cart moving.

"To be fair, he has the practical sex devil with him," Mer jokes as she smirks at the side of Momon's helmet. The man coughs and the Swords of Darkness look at the man curiously.

"I told her I wouldn't-," he begins, only to be interrupted.

"Pretty sure he also has another girl after him, that is just gonna suck him dry if she can get her hands on him!" Kir says with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, the almost vampiric sex fiend," Mer laughs, making Momon attempt an objection.

"Well, who are the lovely ladies after our good Momon?" Lukrut asks with a wide smile.

"Boy, you do not want to meet those two girls. One because they will most likely reject you harder than any woman before and two, one of them is my niece." Kir says, making Lukrut hum.

"So Sir Momon is into younger women, I see," he muses, making Momon sigh in exasperation.

"I'm not interested in either of them," he urges, though everyone ignores him as they approach the edge of the forest.

"Something like that. You could say Momo is old as death, so any girl is younger at this point," Mer comments with a Cheshire grin.

"He is without a doubt the smartest loner around, but he sure as fuck can't act like a regular person around women. At least the ones that are actively trying to bone him harder than Lukrut trying to seduce every woman that breathes in a 50-meter radius around him, HA!" Kir laughs, alongside most of the Swords of Darkness.

"You're just jealous of my skills around women Mister Kir," Lukrut comments.

"Boy, don't you talk about skill with me, I've been with more women than you have hair on your sack!" Kir roars with laughter. "Unless we are talking about your skill to be blind about social cues, you take the cake there." Mer glances at the elves who are in the back of the cart before hopping over the back of the bench and joining them.

"You two doing alright?" She asks softly as the group continues ribbing Lukrut. The sisters nod, Alloralla sitting inside her big sister's arms.

"Your daughter is really nice," the small girl whispers back, making Mer smile.

"That sounds about right," she replies as she scoots over to sit next to them, promptly reaching over and patting their heads. The two stiffen a little as she does so, making her sigh internally.

_This will take a while,_ she thinks.

* * *

Mer hops out of the cart as the group reaches the intersection separating the way to Nfirea's house and to the Adventurers Guild.

"Right, we'll meet you at your house after we've registered Yu, Nfirea," Momon says. "We shouldn't take too long." The boy nods.

"I'll have your payment ready by the time you arrive," he replies.

"Shi, look after the elves while we're off," Mer calls as the group walks off, receiving a nod from the girl as she walks next to Ninya.

"Alright, I'm gonna go get something to eat, and I gotta go find someone, meet you at the boy's place in a bit," Kir says walking off. "And no I don't need anyone with me I'll be fine!"

"Tell the whores I said hello!" Mer calls after him as she rolls her eyes in amusement.

Shi sighs as her mother and company round the far corner, as she follows Nfirea's cart towards his shop.

"Lady Shi, is something the matter?" Dyne asks, making the girl's coal-black eyes meet his.

"No," she states simply.

"Does it have something to do with your mother?" He asks, looking as though he swallowed a lemon.

"No," Shi replies again.

"Ms. Shi, you don't have to put on any airs with us, we won't tell anyone," Peter assures the girl.

"I'm fine," she reiterates. "Simply tired." The group lets her be after that. Nary ten minutes later they arrive at the shop.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind helping me bring in the supplies, follow me," Nfirea says as he picks up one of the baskets containing a plethora of herbs. The Swords of Darkness grab one of the other four as Aneirin and Alloralla move just behind Shi.

Shi, for her part, merely follows.

"Grandmother was cooling some juice, it seems," Nfirea notes after they enter. "Feel free to have some." A moment later, Shi notices someone in the shadows, and swiftly grabs Nfirea's shoulder and drags him behind her.

"Who are you?" Shi demands, eyes narrowed.

"Oooh, so quick," the figure says as she steps forward. Lowering her hood she points to Nfirea. "But I'll need him, been waiting here for days, thought he might not come."

The Swords of Darkness gape at the woman for a moment before Peter draws his sword, prompting the others to draw their weapons as he pulls Nfirea further behind the group.

"Ninya, take Nfirea and the elves and run," Peter orders.

"What?" Ninya asks in shock. "But-!"

"No time to argue, Ninya," Dyne interrupts as he moves in front of the boy with his mace drawn. "You need to live in order to save your sister, and the elves haven't lived at all. Go!"

"Y-you guys," Ninya whimpers as she stares at their backs. The woman, who'd been silently watching up till this point, chimes in.

"Oh so sweet, I think I might cry," she says with a mocking tone before drawing her daggers. "But it would be a problem if you ran away." As soon as she says that the door behind them is locked. Glancing back everyone sees a rather pale old man.

"You play around too much," the man says.

"Mmmm, I'll assume you prepared the spell so nobody will hear the screams," the woman giggles. "Just let me have fun with one of them… maybe that little elf girl." Shi stares at the man in shock, having not realized he was there.

"Just get it done with, we need to finish quickly," he states coldly.

A moment later, Shi curses as jerks her head to the side, a dagger taking the space it had been in. She curses her stupidity as she turns back to the woman, barely deflecting the next strike with her vambrace.

"Fast, but not fast enough," her assailant taunts. Shi grunts as a dagger slides between her ribs.

"Fast, but not fast enough," Shi retorts as her palm slams against the woman's stomach, a blade extending from her vambrace. The woman grunts in pain as she leaps back, grabbing the hole in her stomach as Shi does the same. Peter and Dyne move up beside the girl.

"Lady Shi, please fall back!" Dune insists as the girl stands next to them.

"It looks worse than it is," Shi states. "She's too fast for either of you, but I can't use my magic without also hurting the people in the area. If I could, she'd already be dead." The woman, hearing this, giggles as she readies her blades.

"Oh you're gonna be so much fun," she says as she grins and charges again. Peter tries to intercept her only for Shi to haul him out of the way, blocking her blade with the one in her left vambrace.

"Clementine, it's time to go," the man says, distracting the group to see Ninya and Lukrut on the ground, bodies looking shriveled and cold as Nfirea hangs from his hands, unconscious.

"Oh, but I was just getting to the good part," Clementine whines, before grinning. "Oh well." She jumps over to the old man, only for Shi to grab her ankle and throw her to the other side of the store.

Managing to land on her feet Clementine looks at Shi, "Oh you're starting to get really annoying, let's see how fast you react when it's not your life on the line." She dashes forward, making Shi tense as the angel moves in front of Dyne and Peter, but at the last second Clementine slides along the ground and throws a knife past Shi.

Shi grunts in shock as her eyes dart over to see the dagger bury itself into the small elf who'd been hiding underneath the table.

"Alloralla!" She shouts, before turning to stare at where the two attackers had been, only to see an open door and two corpses. "Damn it!" Shi rushes over to the table, flipping it off of the girl, to see Aneirin worrying over the smaller elf, sobbing pleas for her to hold on and assurances that Alloralla will be okay.

Shi pushes the girl aside and inspects the wound, leaving the dagger in place for a moment as she casts Message.

"_Mother!" _She calls.

"_Eh, what's the matter Shi, we haven't finished registering Yu, so-!"_ Mer begins.

"_Mother, someone was waiting for Nfirea!" _The girl interrupts as she slowly pulls the blade out of Alloralla, the girl crying pitifully from the pain, even as Peter and Dyne try to help their teammates. "_They killed two of our assistants and injured Alloralla!" _Silence rules the Message for a moment before it cuts off.

"Hold on, Mother is on the way," Shi assures Alloralla as she tears some of her cloak and presses it over the heavily bleeding wound. Barely ten seconds later, Mer appears next to Shi, eyes glowing brightly in the darkness. Peter and Dyne shout in shock as they notice her, even as the Angel smiles sweetly at Alloralla and presses her hand against the elf's stomach.

"Greater Heal," she whispers, a warm yellow glow seizing Alloralla's body, the wound on her stomach fading to a pale white scar. Mer stands as Aneirin pulls Alloralla into a desperate hug, eyes still shining a myriad of colors over the room as she looks at Ninya and Lukrut. "Decay and death are rampant here. How despicable." Extending her hands towards the two corpses, she casts more spells. "Twin Maximize Magic: Purify." The bodies glow white for a moment, before she draws two scrolls from her inventory, instantly casting them. "Twin Magic: Resurrection."

Dyne and Peter gape as the bodies of their friends fill out, turning from the decayed state to the smooth skin they'd known before. After another second, the two on the ground let out choked noises as they scramble to their knees.

"Ninya!" Peter cries as he goes to support the coughing boy.

"Lukrut, are you alright?" Dyne asks as he helps Lukrut to his feet, the blonde boy coughing as well. The ranger gives the Druid a shaky grin.

"Never better," he says weakly.

Mer turns to Shi, who looks at the floor in shame as her mother gazes down at her.

"Where are the ones who did this?" She asks quietly, no longer smiling.

"I, I don't know," she replies, receiving a huff in reply.

"I know you can track life force, where are they?" Mer demands again.

"I-I didn't think to track them-!" Shi begins, only for Mer to cut her off with a growl as she snatches up the dagger and stalks towards the door where Momon had finally appeared.

"Mer, what happened?" The Overlord asks as he looks over the group. Mer, in reply, hands him the dagger.

"I need you to track the owner of this thing," Mer says, Momon frowning internally as he takes the weapon. "They're the ones who hurt Alloralla."

"The one who took Nfirea?" He questions as he looks at it. Mer nods with a huff.

"Lady Mer?" Dyne calls cautiously, receiving the light show of Mer's gaze. "Why are your eyes glowing?" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, the rest of the Swords of Darkness looking at her in awe.

"A reaction to my emotional state," she answers as she reopens her eyes, the glow having vanished. "I apologize if it worried you." She turns her gaze to Ninya and Lukrut as she leaves Momon with the dagger. "How do you two feel?" Ninya gives her a shaky smile and Lukrut grins.

"Pretty weak, but alive," Lukrut replies.

"I'm alive, and that's good enough for me," Ninya says, making Mer smile sadly.

"I'm afraid the resurrection process is taxing on the one resurrected. You'll have to regain the strength that you already had," she informs them.

"No biggie," Lukrut says with a grin. "We're pretty young and it's better than being dead."

"Mer," Momon calls, drawing her away from the group. "I don't think I can track the owner of this dagger." Mer scowls at the news. "But I might be able to find Nfirea himself. It will just take a little more time." Mer nods.

"Just find them for me, Momo," she states. "That's all I care about." Mer turns back to Aneirin and Alloralla, swiftly drawing the two close to her.

"Are you two going to be okay?" She asks gently, activating her aura to soothe them. Aneirin looks at her with wide eyes, still holding her little sister close to her.

"Thank you," she whispers as she leans into Mer's chest. "Thank you so much." Mer smiles as she closes her arms around the two, gently rubbing the heads of the crying girls. A few minutes later, Momon calls out to her.

"I know where they are, Mer," he states. The Angel looks at him and nods, quietly ushering the two elves towards Shi.

"Do not let them get hurt again, Shi," she orders coldly as she stands and moves towards her guildmate. Peter rushes over to them.

"If you know where they are, please let me come with you," he asks. Momon shakes his head.

"Any enemy capable of giving Shi trouble is too much for any of you," he replies. "Take care of your allies. This is one battle you would be no help in." Peter grits his teeth and opens his mouth when Dyne puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Let them go, Peter," the Druid urges. "Lukrut and Ninya need your help for now." The boy hesitates before Mer chuckles.

"Don't worry about us," she insists. "Worry about our enemies. Because we won't show any mercy." Mer follows Momon out the door as Peter stares, disheartened.

After twenty minutes of walking in tense silence, the duo arrives at the gate of a cemetery to hear the sounds of panicked screams and undead.

Mer ignores them and goes to the gate, breaking it down and casually flicking her sword.

"Holy Arc," she chants, a wide swath of light leaving the blade and annihilating the undead in the area, before she darts forward, deeper into the horde. After the undead fall silent, the guards stare at the shrinking form of the Angel and the Dark Warrior chasing her.

"Unbelievable," the captain exclaims. "She took them all out with one Martial Art?"

"Captain, what was that?" One of the star-struck men asks.

"I don't know," he answers with awe in his voice. "But whoever that was, I think we're witnessing the rise of a hero."

In the graveyard, Mer huffs as she sends out another wave of holy energy, dozens of undead being caught in the light.

"Mörderin," Momonga calls as he finally catches up to her.

"Yes Momonga," she replies as she releases yet another wave of energy.

"Slow down, we don't know what kind of strength these people have," he urges. "They were able to injure Seikatsu, so we should be cautious." Mörderin doesn't even glance at him.

"Seikatsu's HP was barely touched. They were fast enough to get the drop on her, but not strong enough to significantly hurt her," Mör summarizes. "They aren't a threat."

"Even so, we should have a plan," he tries.

"I'll come up with one when we get there," Mörderin shuts down. "Now would you mind summoning a few creatures to take care of these things while we deal with their source?" Momonga sighs as he shakes his head.

"Summon Mid Tier Undead: Corpse Collector, Jack the Ripper," the Overlord casts, summoning a lanky masked figure and a bandage covered behemoth. "Kill all the undead in the area."

The two set about their task as Momonga and Mörderin file deeper into the cemetery.

Mere minutes later they come across a group of robed figures in a circle before a building performing a ritual.

"Master Khajit, we have company," one of the mages whispers to the bald man in the center.

_So now we have a name,_ Momonga thinks.

"Wonderful night we're having, isn't it Khajit?" Momon calls, making the mage jerk in surprise before looking at his paling acolyte in annoyance. "Isn't it such a waste to use it on some silly ritual?"

"Who are you?" Khajit demands. "How did you get past the swarm of undead?"

"I cut through them," Mer replies simply as she steps forward, placing a hand on her sheathed sword.

"That's impossible!" He objects

"Where's the one with the daggers?" Mer asks coldly, glaring into the shadows.

"So, you came from the boy's shop?" Clementine asks as she steps out from the mausoleum, hood drawn over her face. "My, that's interesting. Did you like what I did to that little elf girl?" Mer narrows her eyes at the woman.

"Shall we go over there?" Mer asks, pointing to a small copse of trees. "I'd like to deal with you personally. My friend here will stay right here with your friends."

"Oh," Clementine pouts."But I wanted to see what your friend looks like under that armor." Mer smiles coldly.

"Well if you're strong enough, you can peel him open after me, can't you?" She asks as she walks towards the tree line. "Momon, I leave the rest to you."

"Hey how's about this, you stand there and I make you look all pretty," Clementine says as she pulls out her daggers, licking one of them as she follows Mer into the growing mist.

Mer's only reply is a cold chuckle.

"Well then, perhaps we should move this along as well," Momon says, drawing the two swords off of his back, before charging at the group of mages and easily slicing through all except for Khajit, who defends himself with a magical barrier. The magic caster laughs as his acolytes fall to the ground.

"Most impressive."

* * *

Mer stands across from Clementine for a few moments, gazing at the scantily clad woman.

"What's your name, then?" She asks as her hands move to the clasps on her armor.

"Clementine," the girl answers, watching as Mer removes her amour. "Oh, isn't that sweet, you're making things all easy on me, I might have to take my time with you, it will be no fun if you die after one attack." Mer just lets her armor fall to the ground carelessly, reaching for the straps on her vambraces.

"The fruit is much more appetizing than you, I must say," Mer comments as she removes her wrist armor. "My name is Mörderin. I will enjoy making you suffer." Mer drops them on the ground and steps towards Clementine while taking both her swords from their sheaths and stabbing them into the ground. "So then, why don't I give you a small handicap?" She smiles at Clementine as she lets go of her swords and steps forward with her arms spread. "Please, we are now as equal as possible. Come and face me."

"Oh, are we now?" Clementine looks her over as she flips a dagger in the air. "You have no armor or weapons what-so-ever, and you think we are equal? Starting to piss me off real quick." Mör merely smiles as Clementine gets into a sprinting stance.

"Stride of the Wind. Greater Evasion," Clementine begins, bending lower with each Art. "Ability Boost. Greater Ability Boost!" As she finishes her activations she dashes forward. Mör waits for a moment as the woman closes in, and just before Clementine can pierce her flesh, she sidesteps and trips the woman, sending Clementine tumbling and resuming her place after Clementine passes.

Clementine, for her part, grunts as she eats dirt and rolls several times.

"Ara, are you even moving, Clem-chan?" Mör taunts as she turns to face the woman as she stands.

"Not possible!" Clementine shrieks, "How were you that fast?!" Mör chuckles.

"Ne ne," she says mockingly. "Weren't you trying to attack me? Didn't you say we couldn't possibly be even unless I had armor and weapons?" The Angel laughs as she draws Clementine's blade, still covered in Alloralla's blood, from behind her back. "Maybe we'll be just about even if I use this thing?"

With a scowl on her face, Clementine charges again, this time jumping in the air as she nears Mör and tries to swipe with both her blades. Mör for her part merely tosses her borrowed blade in the air before catching both strikes in the crooks of her index fingers, halting Clementine's momentum.

The woman gapes as she lands awkwardly, still holding onto her blades, before looking up to see a boot in her face. She cries out in pain as Mörderin kicks her hard enough to send her flying several meters and wrenching her blades from her hands before catching the last one as it falls.

The woman writhes for a moment before rolling onto her back and making to get up before seeing Mörderin towering over her, smiling darkly as she crouches next Clementine's head.

"Yare yare. You were right about one thing, Clem-chan," Mör says with a spiteful tone. "Even without armor or weapons, there is no balance between us." Clementine stares at the woman in dread. "Even with your knives, you're less dangerous than me. With all your skills, you're slower than me. With all your training, you're weaker than me." Mörderin giggles as her eyes glow. "Now it's time for me to start playing~."

Clementine shrieks and scrambles away from the woman, desperately trying to run.

"What kind of monster are you?" She asks in a panic, getting into a dead run. "Stride of the Wind, Ability Boost, Greater Ability Boost!" Clementine activates each Martial Art in turn, running faster and faster away from the Angel.

After nearly three hundred meters, she hears a chuckle as she approaches the ground.

"You're slow, even when you're falling," Mörderin chuckles. Clementine hits the ground with a scream, trying to stand only for her feet not to respond properly.

"You bitch, what'd you do?" Clementine screams in fear as she tries to crawl away from the sitting Angel.

"I cut your Achilles' tendons," she says simply. "I don't think Achilles exists here, so it probably has a different name, but who really cares." Mör appears above Clementine, kicking her and flipping her onto her back before placing a foot on her stomach, giggling as the woman beats her leg and screeches like a banshee. "I think someone like you, someone with so much blood on their hands that they could happily kill children, is just about worth spending the time to repay every sin a thousandfold." Clementine shrieks in fear as Mörderin raises one of her blades, her multicolored eyes glowing menacingly.

* * *

Momonga looks in the distance as he hears the resounding screams of Mörderin's opponent.

"I hope she doesn't attract any unwanted attention," he murmurs to himself as he tosses aside the body of the necromancer.

"Oye, Momo!" Hearing his name the undead in disguise turns around to see Kir, followed by Nabe and Yu. What really surprises him is a large number of bananas the large man is carrying and eating. "Why you guys always hoggin the fun?"

"Well I wouldn't call it fun, per se," says Momon. "But I suppose we should have contacted you when we realized what was happening. I apologize but Mör was… angry, I think is a good way to put it."

"Yeah, Shi told me what happened," Tirdak says as he munches on a banana. "But I mean I did see two undead dragons being turned into spaghetti so you know, don't blame me for thinking you lot are excluding me from punching things." Tir stops mid-bite as another shriek is heard from the distance. "That Mör doing things to the lass that tried to stab the little ones?"

"I would assume so, doesn't seem like it would be Mörderin who would be screaming," Momo says.

With a heavy sigh, Tir passes the bananas to Yuri, "Can you hold these for a second Yuri, I gotta stop the angel from doing sins. The fucking irony is making me wanna slap someone. Hey Momo, I'm gonna stop her from abusing people too much and get her back to Nfirea's house? Meet you three there?"

"If you are sure, but take Narberal with you," Momo says.

"Well if I really need an escort might as well get Yuri, she got the bananas and I sure as hell ain't leaving them for longer than 15 minutes," Tir chuckles as he takes another banana from the pile in Yuri's hands. "You guys should try these, they are fucking delicious." He comments as he walks towards the screams.

A brisk walk and twelve banana's later Tir reaches Mör, with a woman at her feet. Tir grimaces as he stares at the woman, who by this point has lost her ability to scream even as Mör carves into her bones with a stiletto. He represses the urge to vomit a little when he sees all of the skin lying on the ground, meticulously peeled off from the woman's legs and torso, leaving the face mostly intact. Perhaps the most jarring thing is Mör's hand gently hovering over the woman's heart, glowing a soft yellow as she continues her work.

"Hey there bud, you havin fun?" He asks as he throws away his last banana, trying to not look at the woman on the ground. Mör, for her part, doesn't reply as she begins to carve into Clementine's clavicle. "Oi, Mör!" The woman continues on her path, as Tirdak moves towards his friend as she chips off small pieces of bone. "Mörderin, that's enough!" The Angel removes the blade from her prey and moves it towards the skin on her neck, just as Tir clamps his hands over Mör's, jarring her. "Enough, you've done enough!" Mörderin takes a deep breath as she looks over.

"When did you get here?" She asks, confusion lacing her face.

"Sometime during when you decided to throw everything that made you an Angel out the window," Tir replies crassly. Mör blinks before she looks back at Clementine, paling slightly as she reviews her handiwork. "Get out of the way, I can take care of this."

Mör doesn't respond as Tir hands her off to Yuri and moves next to the devastated shell of a woman.

"Fuck… well if I gotta try it might as well be on this scum," Tir says.

"What do you plan on doing my Lord?" Yuri asks.

"Well, I have been pondering about if I can get a soul out of a living body. Seeing as this lass was able to not die from Shi in a matter of seconds her power could be useful, and it would be a better fate than letting her be tortured for eternity, be it by Mör, someone in Nazarick or whatever Hell exists in this world after you die," Tir explains.

Tir kneels down to the woman, touching her forehead with one hand and her midsection with the other, the woman looking at him with haunted eyes. Closing his eyes he begins to concentrate. As the seconds pass, a white mist begins to form around him. Two minutes later he opens his eyes, revealing a pure white surface. He begins to speak, his voice echoing.

"Soul yet living. Your time is near. You have fallen but you still must serve. I, Tirdak Thunderhoof, High-Shaman of the Great Tomb of Nazarick command you. Leave your mortal body and serve me!" He intones as the woman begins to scream anew as Tir's hands begin to glow. A few seconds later she stops and her body goes limp. The mist surrounding Tir thickening ever so slightly.

His eyes turn back to normal and the mist vanishes. Standing up, though a bit staggered he looks at his friends and speaks, "Well, I guess it works, but boy do I feel like I ran a marathon."

Mör nods, before she staggers away from Yuri, dropping her stolen daggers as she falls to her hands and knees.

"Oh shit," Tir says as he makes his way over to his friend, kneeling beside her.

"My Lady, are you alright?" Yuri asks in a panicked voice, dropping what is left of the bananas on the ground and kneeling on Mörderins other side. A moment later a stream of vibrant glowing multicolored vomit leaves Mör's mouth as she gags and heaves.

"I… this is certainly… new," Tir says, trying to hold back giggles as Mör continues to vomit, even as Yuri rubs her back and holds her hair out of the way.

A few moments later, after Mörderin finishes, she giggles deliriously.

"Bright tummy shit," she giggles.

"Well, that answers a question I never thought I needed an answer to… what are the contents of an angel's stomach," Tir says as he lifts Mör gently to her feet. "C'mon then, let's get you some water. Hey Yuri, mind grabbing her things?"

"Of course, Lord Tirdak," Yuri replies with a bow, hiding her concern under a veneer of professionalism. Mör, for her part, merely giggles dementedly as tears stream down her face.

"Yeah I suppose that is an appropriate reaction to-," Tir turns to the body of the woman. "-that. But let's go, your daughters must be worried sick."

"Whee~," Mör giggles, her wings unfurling and slapping Tir over his head as he drags her off.

"C'mon put those back, can't have people seeing us like this," Tir says as his calming aura surrounds them. Mör continues giggling, sniffling on occasion. After a few more seconds, she shoves Tir off of her and launches into the sky, sending the man stumbling.

"Fuck, Momo is gonna rail on me for this. What a fucking day," Tirdak says, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he wonders what to do.

Looking towards where Mör had blasted off Tirdak sighs as he goes to get Yuri, "_Such a good friend you are you fucking cow._"

Reaching Yuri he notices she is picking up the last of Mörderin's armor and weapons. She turns to Tir and looks at him with confusion and worry.

"We have got a problem Yu, let's go to Momo and the others so we can figure it out," Kir says with a monotone voice. Keeping her composure she nods and follows the hurried steps of her Lord.

Going back into the town, where mass hysteria was practically drowning it, Kir and Yu make their way through the crowds of people to Nfirea's house. Going inside they see Momo and Nabe standing in front of the table with Shi on the ground near the elf girls.

"Where are the rest?" Kir asks.

"Upstairs, Nfirea's grandmother wanted to take a look at Nfirea, Ninya, and Lukrut," Momon answers. "Where is Mer?"

"Gone," at Kir's words, everyone looks at him worriedly. "She… is not in the best mental state and flew off, I am gonna try and explain a bit more but..." He looks at the elf girls. "Yu take the kids in the other room, Shi I need you to go after your mother, you're the only one that is fast enough to do so."

"Now hold on a second Kir, we..." Momo tries to say before being interrupted by Kir.

"We don't have fucking time to talk this over Momo, it's either Shi goes after her or I start running towards where she went. And I sure as hell can't fly." Yu grabs ahold of the two girls and gently pulls them into the next room as Shi slowly gets to her feet.

"I'll try to find her," she replies as she walks out the door, head held low.

"Wait," Momon orders, staring at Kir. "We need to know more. What happened to put Mer in such a state?"

Lowering his voice so that only the people in the room can hear he says, "She tortured that lass that attacked, the skin was off, bones poking every which way, how the fuck the lass was still alive I have no idea. I managed to stop her, by taking the soul out of the body, but I'll tell you about that later. She fell and barfed, I shit you not a fucking rainbow, because of course. She was delirious and when I started carrying her back she got her wings out and zoomed off. So it's either her suddenly getting drunk or the realization of what she has done, being an actual fucking angel mind you, hit her like a train. Pretty sure I know which one it is. So Shi, when you get to her, be gentle." Shi glances at Momon, who nods after a moment, before exiting the room and disappearing in a shimmer of magic.

"Kir, can you show me the soul of the woman Mer killed?" Momon asks.

"Aaaaah… not sure I can, even if I could, not sure if you can even communicate with her. I am still experimenting with how the whole, soul thing works here in the mortal realm." Kir explains. Thinking for a few seconds he sits down on one of the chairs, "Let me try something."

Concentrating for a few moments a small ball appears in his hand, this one, unlike the other soul ball which Mer had stolen, while still mainly white, has a black core.

"This is the best I ca-AAAAAH-!" the ball spazzes out of existence as Kir grabs the side of his head.

"Kir!" Momon shouts, rushing to his friend's side and catching him before he can fall. "Kir, are you alright?" Nabe looks on in concern, even as Nfirea's grandma descends the staircase.

"Ooooh boy, yeah, I'm good," Kir says adjusting himself back to his seat, one hand still on his head. "You ever had someone yell in your ear? Imagine that, but in your head and the volume turned to max. FUCK she was screaming like a banshee, I can still feel it vibrating in my head."

"Is everything alright?" Lizzie asks as she walks over to the trio.

"Yes, I believe my friend just has a minor headache," Momon replies, before turning back to Kir. "Can you still hear her or has the connection been cut off?" Lizzie moves off to one of her shelves as Kir replies.

"No, she stopped as soon as I… de-summoned I guess is a word for it?" Kir chuckles. "Gonna have to come up with better terminology." A bottle is shoved into one of Kir's hands as Lizzie returns.

"Here, this helps with head pains," she explains.

"Thanks," he says before opening the bottle and drinking the liquid. "Oh damn… that's very sour."

"Medicines tend to be," the old woman replies. "Take it as a small token of my thanks for saving my grandson. I can't offer much at the moment that would be of use to you, but I suppose it wouldn't be a problem to teach you how we make our potions if you still want to know."

"That would be great actually," Kir says.

"You told me you had a sixth team member," Lizzie says to Momon. "Where is she in all of this?" Momon exchanges a glance with Kir before replying.

"She decided to look into the people who took your son," he lies. "They were able to summon an army of the undead with your son and she wanted to figure out if someone helped them do it."

"How is everyone else doing? Nfirea got it the worst, but Ninya and Lukrut were also in bad shape. All of them alright?" Kir asks.

"Nfirea is sleeping, but he'll be fine," she replies as she takes a seat. "Those adventurers are a bit gaunt but they seem to be more exhausted than anything."

"That's good, not sure how well it would sit with my conscience if any of them got killed," he rubs his eyes and says under his breath. "Should have been here." Momon shakes his head.

"No, even if you had been here, in a cramped space we would have been at a disadvantage. The only one who would have been able to effectively stop this was Mer, so don't beat yourself up over it," the Overlord comments.

"Maybe, who knows. But I still think it would have been a lot less messy if I was thinking with the correct… head, heh," Kir chuckles.

"Even if you were, with your level of common sense you might have accidentally attacked Lukrut yourself," Momon jests.

"Listen, you stand in the way of a charging bull, it's your own damn problem," Kir says with a chuckle.

"Ha, more like a slow and overweight cow!" Momon counters, Kir taking the jab with a laugh.

"What do you mean, you old bucket of bones?" Kir retorts with a smirk. "I am nothing but muscle and man, unlike yourself!" As the two laugh, Peter descends the stairs, looking at the duo.

"Hey," he calls quietly, getting their attention. "Did something go wrong? Where's Mer?" Kir grimaces as Momon shakes his head.

"She went out for a walk," is all Momon says. Peter doesn't press the issue as Kir gets up.

"I'm gonna go for a walk myself," he says, walking to the door. "Call me whenever Mer and Shi get back."

"Of course," Momon says, Nabe nodding. "Take Nabe with you-."

"No. I need a bit of time to think," Kir interrupts. "Just a little." Momon hesitates but nods nonetheless. "Thanks, Momo." With that, Kir leaves the apothecary behind, heading off into the night. He wanders aimlessly for some time, leaving the city behind after an hour, sighing as he stares at the moon over the fields. "Wonder when you'll be back, Mör. It's times like this when I really wish I'd taken a fucking Message scroll or two."

"Good evening," a voice calls from behind Kir. He turns around in surprise to see a long black-haired man wearing white, gold, and orange armor. "I heard that you and your adventuring group were instrumental in protecting the city from an undead incursion." Kir raises an eyebrow as he sighs heavily, eyes drifting to the somewhat ratty spear on the otherwise finely armored man's back.

"My friends were, yeah. I was a bit too busy to aid them, unfortunately. What's it to you lad?" Kir asks. The man hums before he replies, rubbing his right wrist with his left hand.

"I simply wished to thank you," he continues, even as Kir squints, feeling a little fuzzy. "You and your friends protected a bastion of humanity, and as a member of the human race, I felt it my duty to thank you." Kir groans as a hand drifts to his head, his vision turning white at the edges, and he notices his clothes starting to shine a brilliant white color, illuminating a spell circling his head.

"You sack of-!" Tir begins as he tries to grab the person in front of him, just then everything goes dark. "-shit..." he manages to finish, frozen in front of the man with a hand inches from his face.

The Captain of the Black Scripture sighs as he closes his eyes.

"This is distasteful," he mutters, before he hears a movement of air, and leaps back as his eyes lock onto a black angelic form wearing a hood, and he draws his spear, easily splitting it in two.

"Oh? He managed to hold on for longer than everyone else?" A monotone voice comments, drawing the Captain's gaze to a girl with black and white hair. "I wonder why that happened?"

* * *

**AN**: _Well, this sure was a chapter that went all over the place. Probably didn't expect that from Mör did ya? But the next chapter is gonna be a spicy one! Have a good day/night and leave a review, helps out a bunch knowing what people think about the story. ~RadiTheCrusader_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Welcome one, welcome all, I am your host and writer Lambda38. It's been a bit, but I do hope you enjoy chapter 7, with a title that probably makes the last one makes some manner of sense. I hope you enjoy, leave a review if you're feeling particularly snazzy, and I'll see you next chapter, which is well underway, fear not.(we totally didn't finish this chapter and forget for months, I swear.) See ya. -L38.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Storm**

* * *

The Captain of the Black Scripture glances around the forest they had brought Kir to, before turning to the giant of a man and the dwarfed form of Lady Kaire, an old woman wearing a white dress with a gold eastern dragon crawling up the front. He looks towards the rest of the Black Scripture.

"Alright then, set up a perimeter. Do not allow anyone to approach unannounced," he orders, all except the Extra Seat, Lady Kaire, and Lady Kaire's guard obeying. "Lady Kaire, if you would make him more amenable to questioning, we must begin."

"I already have," the old woman says with a huff, receiving a nod as the black-haired man meets Kir's eyes, the beast of a man looking rather confused but otherwise normal.

"Sir Kir, I need to ask you questions about your party," the man begins. "First of all, your ally, Lady Mer. What was she doing in Carne Village when the Sunlight Scripture arrived there?"

"She was bored, said she wanted to look around a bit," Kir answers, making the Captain balk for a moment as the monochrome girl snorts.

"Why did she interfere with the Slaine Theocracy, what allegiances does she hold?" He continues, eyes narrowed.

"Not sure she did anything to the country, but those religious lunatics sure had it coming. And her allegiances stand with me, Momo and the rest of the guild," Kir says. The Captain frowns.

"Momo, you mean Sir Momon?" He asks quietly, ignoring the jab of being lunatics. "But what guild do you speak of? The adventurers guild?"

"HA! I'd cut my own beard off if I had to be loyal to such a shady bunch. To Ainz Ooal Gown and no one else," Tir exclaims proudly.

"What is Ainz Ooal Gown?" The Captain asks, frown deepening.

"Our guild. Though even with most members gone we still stand proud… not that there is anyone to stand up to in this world."

"What does your guild stand for?" The Captain asks, annoyed. "Who are the members, what is your level of strength, and where has Lady Mer taken the artifact she took from Sunlight Scripture Captain Nigun Grid Luin?"

"Well right now it's just me, Mer and Momo, our levels are 100 last I checked and I have no idea what Mer has taken or where she has put it… maybe I should ask Nigun… bah, I forgot him back home. As for what the guild stands for… that's a tough question, depending on who you ask you might get different answers," Tir explains. The Captain furrows his brow in confusion.

"Ask Nigun? How would you ask him when he's dead?" He asks curiously. "And what would you say the Guild stands for then?"

"Well considering his soul is under my control right now I can just grab 'im and ask him, though the fucker is still in the ball so I gotta go and physically grab him. And for me, I'd say the guild represents family, a bond between close friends that can never be broken, even if the others are gone."

"I see," the Captain mutters. "What would you say your weaknesses are, for each of you?"

"Hmm, for me usually someone with higher speed, though even then I can still probably come out on top, very few get through my defenses. For Mer, someone with more powerful magic than her, though her strengths outweigh that. And Momo, anyone that can swing a sword better than the average person and can survive the ungodly amount of magic that is thrown at them is good enough," Tir says. The Captain and Extra Seat look at him, one in shock and the other in excitement.

"Magic?" The man asks incredulously. "But he's-!"

"Captain!" One of the members of the Black Scripture comes rushing from the tree line. "Our target is coming straight towards us! She's maybe five minutes out!" The Captain gapes, wondering how she'd managed to find them so quickly.

"Bring everyone together. Lady Kaire, bring Sir Kir with us. Zesshi, I'm sure you'll be happy enough to fight?" He asks, the Extra Seat merely grinning as she follows the Captain out towards the nearby field. "Sir Kir, do you think if worse comes to worst, we can defeat Lady Mer?"

"Honestly no idea, both of us fight from time to time but never seriously. Maybe outnumbering her would do the trick. Though why would we fight right now? She is going through some stuff, it's probably best if we let her be."

"And if we're with you?" The Captain asks curiously, as they walk amongst the darkened foliage. "If you hold her off, can we kill her if need be?"

"Mmmm, tough question. She is a lot faster than me, probably than anyone else honestly. But I'm not even equipped with my PvP armor so not sure how well I can chase her around while she is zipping all over the place."

"I see," the Captain says coldly. The group comes to a halt at the edge of the forest, seeing a black-haired woman staring straight at the Captain, eyes glowing enough to cast shade on the rest of her face. "And what would you say the chances of not getting into a confrontation or possibly convincing her to join the Theocracy are?"

"Depends really, I mean I can talk to her if ya want? Though joining the Theocracy… yeah no not happening, neither for her nor for me or for anyone else in our group."

"I'm sure you'll be more than amenable after a little while, Sir Kir," the Captain replies stoically as he walks out of the edge of the forest, his group following. Mer looks at them, a scowl firm on her face, even as she clenches her hands to control their shaking.

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Prior**

Mörderin gasps for breath from where she sits, back pressed to the side of a cave, arms looped around her legs as she presses her forehead against her knees.

A moment passes before she feels an oncoming Message, instinctively slashing it before it has the time to connect, as she does her best to try and control her fractured emotions.

_I did it,_ she thinks with a sobbing laugh. _I did it. I did it! I tortured her! Why did I do it?_ The woman takes another gasping breath as her body shudders in disgust.

"What's one of the Beastfolk doing in a place like this?" A young voice asks, startling Mör. The Angel looks up to see a small person in a red cloak with a white mask with black lines and a red jewel over her face. The girl tilts her head. "Though you appear far too human to be a Beastfolk, so what are you?" Mörderin stares at her for a moment, before shrugging.

"I'm not a Beastfolk," she says with some tears leaking from her eyes as she looks away. "Just a person with some issues." The girl lets out a hum.

"What kind of issues?" She asks, taking a seat a few feet away from Mör. The Angel glances over at her again.

"Does it matter?" She asks despondently. "Even if we solve one issue all that happens is that there's more room for another issue to take its place."

"Possibly, however, there are some issues that need to be taken care of quickly, and some which need help to be solved," the girl says quietly. "I think this counts for both of those." Mör chuckles hollowly.

"I killed a woman," she replies bluntly, surprising the cloaked girl. "I killed her because she tried to kill my ward while I wasn't there. I took it too far though." The girl nods.

"If the person who attacked your wards was happy in doing so, it makes sense for you to be angry over it," the girl says, fidgeting slightly. "But if you want to, perhaps it'd help you if you explained what you did to her?" Mör chuckles humorlessly once more.

"My name is Mörderin," she begins. "What's yours?"

"Evileye."

"Cute name," the Angel says dryly, cracking a small smile. "I suppose I should start from when I learned of my ward being attacked," Mör explains what happened, how she had been contacted, what she had come to find, and the events leading up to her encounter with Clementine, occasionally cutting off a Message trying to reach her before it could begin. "And I fell into a sort of… trance, I suppose." She wipes her face with her sleeve, not crying anymore, though she could still feel the disgust and horror lingering in her stomach. "When one of my friends pulled me back from the woman, I only just realized what I'd done. It didn't sit well with me, as you can see, so I let my wings out and decided to fly."

Evileye, who had been silent, if slightly angered when she learned a child had nearly been killed, nods.

"An understandable reaction, if an extreme one," she surmises. "But it is merely something you must learn to control or prevent." The girl tilts her head down, humming slightly. "Doing it again may lead you down a path you can't bring yourself back from," Mör smirks tiredly and opens her mouth to reply when the flap of wings is heard, as well as a manly shout of surprise before Seikatsu appears down the cave.

"Mother!" She calls, getting Mörs attention.

"Yes?" Mörderin asks shortly.

"It's Lord Tirdak! He's been captured!" She says swiftly, making Mörderin stand in shock.

"Captured? How?" She asks incredulously.

"I don't know! My servant only told me he'd somehow been mind-controlled-!" Seikatsu begins before Mör cuts her off with a curse.

"Where is he?" She demands.

"My servant was killed, but Demiurge has sent our scouts to find him," the angel replies, making Mör wall past her, the woman taking a deep breath.

"Thank you, Evileye," she says. "You were a good listener." A moment later Mörderin leaves the cave to see four other women, including one giant who is rubbing the back of her head, before she spreads her wings and launches into the air, towards E-Rantel once more. After a few moments of feeling the wind buffet her face, she sends out a Message.

"_Demiurge," _she calls.

"_Lady Mörderin,"_ he greets, his voice pleasant. "_We've found the mongrels that dared to control Lord Tirdak, and the full power of Nazarik has been mobilized in order to kill these filthy humans." _Mörderin narrows her eyes as she passes through a cloud.

"_Where is he?"_

"_They've taken him to the forest near the city you and our Lords went to gather information."_

"_I see," _she replies, before taking a steadying breath. "_Very well, Demiurge, I want you to listen closely. This operation must not fail, and if a single member of our forces disobeys their orders, I will personally see to their punishments."_

She explains her plan, attempting to keep the casualties to a minimum as she reigns the Demon in. Mere minutes later, she arrives at the fields outside of E-Rantel, feeling her wings draw into her back as a shadow demon nearby beckons her towards her foes.

After five minutes of walking, she notices a group of five people walking out to meet her. She recognizes Kir instantly, the man looking rather befuddled even as he replies to the questions the group are asking him.

At the front of the group is a man with long black hair, with ornate armor and a raggedy spear, followed by a girl with white and black hair carrying a scythe, and an armored man with a massive shield. The last one garners Mörderins attention, being the odd one out. An old woman wearing a white and gold dress. She squints at the woman, and as she draws closer to the group, she can make out the gold pattern on the front to resemble a golden dragon, before her eyes widen in shock as she stumbles a step.

_Isn't that the brainwashing World Item? _She thinks in shock, as it finally dawns on her how they controlled Tirdak. _Dammit. There must be a way to get him out from their thumbs, but I don't know if it can be used to relieve its own brainwashing, or if the effect will end after the user dies._

Mörderin ignores these questions as she stops around ten feet from the group.

"I see you've absconded with my teammate," she notes coldly. "Return him immediately."

"Whatcha talking about Mör? We're just having a chat, no harm in it," Tir says, "Also you doing well?" Mör merely snorts.

"Can we talk or are you going to continue pretending he's anything but a puppet right now?" She asks, annoyed. Kaire merely hmphs as Kir's eyes dim and he stands tall and silent.

"Indeed," the Captain replies. "I'm here due to the artifact you stole from the Slaine Theocracy. The summoning crystal-."

"Of that pathetic Dominion, yeah, I know," Mör interrupts, ignoring the sight of someone being pulled into a Gate behind the tree line. "Sorry to break it to you, but I already destroyed the crystal. It wasn't even worth ten gold, so I'd hardly say you've lost much." The Captain balks.

"You destroyed it!" He asks, shocked. "Why? That was an angel of the highest tier-!"

"Barely an angel worthy of the title mid-tier, actually," she interrupts again. "Now, can we get on with this and can I leave with my teammate or am I going to have to-!" Mör blinks in surprise as the dual haired girl leaps at her, a bored look on her face as she swings her scythe. Mör doesn't bother with a preamble as she dons a full set of shining silver armor, with twin gleaming silver sabers appearing in her hands as she casually deflects the girl's strike. Zesshi, for her part, grunts in shock as her attack is easily diverted, before a bloodthirsty grin appears on her lips. "So that's how it is."

"Lady Kaire, send in Sir Kir," the Captain orders as he takes a ready stance next to Zesshi, and Kaire's guard places his shield between her and Mör. A moment later, Kir grunts as he surveys the situation. Then in an instant, he begins to transform, his doppelganger side of him turning him back into his true minotaur form. Then with a dull light, his armor is donned.

Full plate made of dark iron, perfectly made to fit his form, wherever the plate would stop to allow the movement of joints, deep red colored chain-mail shines through. A black cape that turns into mist towards the end floats behind him, names written upon it. The armor itself has images of different animals engraved into it.

A large silver greataxe appears in his hands, sparks of lightning emanating from the blades.

"A Beastman?" Kaire exclaims in disgust.

"I know he's an ugly bastard, but that's my friend you're feeling disgusted about," Mörderin objects, before twirling one of her blades. "That said." Mörderin vanishes in a blaze of silver, knocking Zesshi and the Captain aside like bowling pins, and easily slicing through the shield of Kaire's protector, blade closing on the old woman's neck when she sees a flash of orange and stiffens, sword halting in the air before being slammed in the aide with a massive axe.

Mör cries out in pain as she flies through the air, skipping on the ground before hitting a tree and slumping to the ground. She grits her teeth as she retches, pushing away the images that had been brought to her mind. She looks over and rolls out of the way as the twin colored girl sweeps her scythe through the air.

"I thought you might actually be a threat," the girl muses as she glances at Mörderin as she shakily stands. "But it turns out you're just a disappointment." Mör huffs and darts around a spear strike from the Captain, slamming her swords against his spear harshly enough to send him tumbling to the ground.

"Says the girl who couldn't even scratch my armor," Mör retorts as she glances at the deep groove left by Tirdak.

She doesn't have enough time to examine it entirely as a bestial roar is heard from in front of her. Snapping her head up she sees Tir charging at her with full force horns pointed at her abdomen.

The Angel jumps to the side, avoiding the hulking Beastman as she darts towards the old woman and her bodyguard again. Mör takes a breath and goes for the strike again, the old woman diving to avoid her sword and only getting nicked on her side.

Mör clicks her teeth in annoyance as she bashes aside the shield man who attempts to slam her in the side of what remains of his shield.

A moment later, she holds both of her blades up to intercept both a large scythe and spear.

"Did you honestly think that would-," Mör mocks, before a sudden strike in the middle of her back sends her tumbling forward, knocking her two opponents to the ground with her.

"Oh yeah, turn your back on the minotaur, a great idea there Mör," Tir taunts as he goes for an overhead strike towards his friend. Mör curses as she turns and blocks with one of her blades, the force slamming her back to the ground.

"Snap out of it Tirdak, come on!" She yells as she kicks one of his knees, making him stumble enough for her to scramble back to her feet.

"Oh, I am gonna snap something alright!" Tir yells back and does an upward diagonal attack with his axe. Mör fades around it and slams a heavy blow against the blade of his axe, attempting to dislodge it from his grip, Tirdak staggering as he tries to keep it.

"Attack every weakness she has, make her suffer until she submits, my servant!" The old woman cries, making Mörderins eyes widen as she jumps back from Tirdak, evading a swift strike from the scythe-wielding girl.

"Holy shit, with the amount of fucking dodging you do, I'd think you were a pansy-ass rogue," Tir taunts once more. "Then again, no one in the guild had the balls to take a hit!" He yells, throwing three strikes, one after another.

Mör evades the strikes, as well the ones the Captain throws in before she deflects the scythe strike.

"Oh come on, you told us to let you take them!" She objects before she evades a decapitation swing. "And Buku was right there with you!"

"Oh please, I was ten times as useful as her," Tir says as he tries to punch Mör.

"You even admitted she was a great bloody tank!" Mör objects as she evades it, glancing between the relatively slow opponents and the old woman hiding behind her damaged shield holder, noting the Gate behind them right before a long hand of claws reaches through and severs the old woman's head.

"Lady Kaire!" The shield man calls, even as the body is dragged through the Gate before an armored figure grabs the man and drags him off.

"What?" The Captain says as he looks at where they had been, pale as a sheet as the Gate shuts.

"Tirdak, come on, we don't need to fight," Mör urges as she jumps backward, creating a sizable gap between her and the group of her opponents.

"Oh, that's rich, considering how fucking much you were trying to prove you were better than TouchMe. The number of times you would challenge someone to a fight just to prove you can win faster than him, is so high I had to stop counting!" Tir yells.

"That's different and you know it!" Mörderin objects. "That was just YGGDRASIL!" The Captain stiffens as he hears the name, mouth falling slightly open.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Here I can actually maybe get some fucking respect for once from this damned fucking guild!" Tir roars and charges once more. Mörderin sighs before she sprouts wings from her back.

"I'd hoped her death would free you," she mutters as she flaps her wings, ascending two hundred meters up in nearly an instant. She stares down at her opponents before folding the white limbs behind her, letting gravity do its work.

A few seconds later she flies past the three foes before her, her form bouncing around them and nearly instantly disarming the two Black Scripture members and sending them flying before she slams into Tirdak.

"Don't worry Tir," she says as she slams her second sword into his axe, flapping her wings with enough force to send his hooves plowing through the ground. "I'll make sure you're alright after this. I won't fail."

"Oh so high and mighty, I should have left with SukMiOv when he left the clan, he was so fucking right about you lot it's painful just thinking about it!" Tir says, making Mör take a deep breath as she disengages.

"I really wish I could knock you out," Mör mutters. "You're gonna feel like shit later." A second later Mör stiffens before dropping to the ground as a wave of black energy scythes through where she'd just been, slamming into Tirdak's face. "What was that?"

Mör looks behind herself as Tirdak curses to see the girl with her hair fallen down, revealing elven ears. The girl growls and launches herself at the Angel. Mörderin doesn't waste time and bats her aside, turning back to Tir as he begins to chant in a language she does not understand. It sounds like a mix of his regular speech and guttural growls, a white circle forming in front of his hand before lighting zaps its way across to her.

She sidesteps it and almost chuckles as she hears a litany of curses from the elf girl before feeling a small spark against the back of her armor.

"Seriously Tirdak, it's like I never told you I made my armor specifically for lightning and ice resistance," she states with a smirk underneath her helmet. The Angel chuckles as she flaps her wings, the spear which would have pierced her side passing harmlessly underneath her, before her metallic boot meets the Captain's temple, sending him flying off of his feet and into a freshly opened Gate.

"Oh congratulations, it will take me only five strikes to kill ya instead of four," Tirdak taunts as he charges again.

Mörderin dodges the swing from Tirdak's axe and flies higher. The minotaur grunting in frustration.

"You know I have always found it funny, how for a guild that was supposed to be evil, we had the most non-evil people as guildmates. Hell, you are the most ironic out of all of them," Tir laughs.

"Well to be fair," Mör says while she drops to the ground beneath another wave of black energy which strikes Tirdak in the face, making him roar in annoyance. "There was Ulbert who was a bit more into the whole evil thing than the rest of us!" She raises her swords, blocking the scythe behind her before she kicks off the ground, a swift strike with her sword sending the scythe flying. "I'll take this!" She lets go of one of her swords in order to grab the girl's scythe and chucks it into her inventory before anyone can react.

"Give that back!" Zesshi shouts as she reaches for the Angel's hanging sword, only for the woman to beat her to it. Mör snorts as she flaps her wings, evading yet another strike from Tirdak.

"Bah, sure he led others on with his charades. But he was just like the rest of us, pretending to be something that we were not," Tirdak stops before taking a few breaths. "Not that it makes a difference now, does it? None of em are here, it's just the three of us."

"That it is," Mör replies morbidly, sighing. "And I won't let you stay like this, I promise, Tirdak."

"Oh, that's rich, heh. Won't be the first time someone from the guild promised me something only to stab me in the back in the end," Tir sneers as he readies another spell.

"I told you that Luci-Fer was an asshole, but no, you couldn't believe he'd be _that_ much of one!" Mör snaps back, kicking Zesshi across her face as she tries to jump and strangle her. The half-elf falls bonelessly into a new Gate, leaving the two friends staring each other down over the moonlit field.

* * *

Momonga hums as he watches his two friends through the Mirror of Remote Viewing from his throne, gripping the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown hard enough to snap a man's neck in two, and ignoring the pile of unconscious humans between the lines of Guardians at the base of the throne steps.

"My Lord, is something the matter?" Demiurge asks as he watches the fight with his normal smile. "I am assured by Lady Mörderin that her plan to save Lord Tirdak will not fail."

"I have full confidence in Mörderin, however the fact that someone would dare control one of my guildmates," the Skeleton replies darkly. "It infuriates me to no end."

"My Lord," Albedo speaks, Momonga turning to meet her gaze, the Overseer dressed in her full armor. "Do you believe whatever despicable creature managed to… get ahold of Uncle, is forcing him to say those outlandish things?" Momonga hums to himself as he looks back at the mirror.

"No, I believe he is saying them because they are events that happened," the Overlord replies, making the Guardians stand straighter as they see the two exchange a flurry of strikes on screen. "The majority of what he says does hold some weight. Back before we all came to this world, he and Bukubukuchagama were the only ones who were hardy enough to weather the attacks of our foes. The rest of us were better at killing than we were at taking the blows ourselves. I'd never seen it as disrespectful, though, and Tirdak has insisted that it be that way. His opinion of what happened, the perceptions he speaks of. Those I believe are being forced from him."

"What does he mean by being stabbed in the back, My Lord?" Demiurge asks, frowning.

"Ah. I believe it was back before we'd made the Great Tomb, he was asked by our clanmate Luci-Fer to help him with some rather simple enemies, nothing major," Momonga recounts. "Luci-Fer however, is nothing if not notorious for his love of small pranks, and after everything was finished, he set off a small trap behind Tirdak that sent a dagger into his back." He rubs his chin as the Guardians stiffen, several looking confused and others looking incensed at this story. "The two had a good laugh over it after Tirdak stopped chasing him with an axe."

"It just seems strange to me, that Uncle of all Supreme Beings would hold such a grudge, given the fact that he would behave so pleasantly with humans even," Albedo speaks.

Momonga hummed in response, before remembering a certain story Tirdak had told him when the minotaur/doppelganger joined the guild.

"It would make sense for him actually, given his background," he says.

"I see, My Lord," Demiurge says with a small frown. "In any case, I believe we are ready to move to the next stage of Lady Mörs plan. Albedo, are you prepared?"

"Always," Albedo says, an inkling of guilt in her voice, at the prospect of having to fight the person who had the most in common with her creator.

"Very well then, I shall inform Lady Mörderin," Demiurge states. "Please get yourself into position, Albedo."

* * *

Mör dodges yet another swing of Tirdak's axe, wings flapping as she takes a deep breath, feeling the sweat on her forehead as she tries to dart behind him. She plants a kick into his spine and sends her friend off his feet with an enraged roar. She takes a deep breath as she lands on the ground, watching Tirdak stand before she feels a Message connect to her.

"_All of your orders have been accomplished, and Albedo is in position, Lady Mörderin," _the Demon replies.

"Albedo!" She calls out, the Succubus rushing out of the woods to intercept Mörderin's attacker. Albedo hesitantly takes a stand in front of Tirdak, her black armor shining in the moonlight. "I'll be back soon."

Mör opens a Gate next to her and walks through.

Tirdak huffs, two puffs of smoke coming out of the snout on his helmet as he snarls, "Running away from a fight and using others to shield yourself from the enemy, typical Mörderin." He stands his ground while looking at Albedo. "Typical for all of them..."

"Lord Tirdak, please stand down," Albedo begs, gritting her teeth. "We do not need to-!"

"She doesn't even have the fucking guts to face me in actual fucking combat!" Tirdak yells. " I will run to Nazarick, I will bash down the walls of that fucking tomb and I will rip that spineless coward's wings off!" Tir roars as he charges forward.

Albedo blocks him, grimacing under her helmet as his axe crashes into her own.

"Lord Tirdak, please come to your senses! We aren't your-!" She tries. Tirdak for his part ignores Albedo and pushes her aside to run past her. The Succubus grunts as she rushes after him, trying to intercept.

"I can't keep up," she realizes despondently, trying vainly to move faster.

"Lord Tirdak, that's quite far enough," a smooth voice calls, before Demiurge swoops down from the sky in his Demi-Demon form, arm pulled back. "Aspect of the Devil: Archdemons's Wrist!" The Demon slams his expanded wrist into Tirdak's chest, sending the Beastman stumbling back. "Albedo. We have our orders. Even if we must raise arms against Lord Tirdak for the moment, we must make certain Lady Mörderin's plan is not interfered with."

Albedo looks at Tirdak, who has by this point recovered.

"It's gonna take more than that to take me down!" Tirdak yells. "And you are starting to get on my nerves, Spirit Power Transfer!" A white mist begins to emanate from his extended arm. "Twine Plant!" The ground under Demiurge rumbles as large vines protrude and begin to surround him, they themselves letting out a mist. The Demon flaps his wings and takes to the air, flying upwards to avoid the plants.

"Flash," the Demon calmly intones a bright light emanating from his form and searing itself into Tirdak's retinas.

With a roar of pain, more beast than man, Tirdak covers the openings for his eyes on his helmet with his right arm and stumbles a few feet back.

"Ah, you oversized frog!" Tir roars as he blindly aims up with his free hand, a gray magical circle appearing in front of his arm. "Drain!"

"Hellfire Wall!" Demiurge chants, a wall of black fire sprouting up at a distance around Tirdak, even as he moves to avoid the mist like rope sprouting from the spell circle.

Albedo stares in despair, watching as her Lord fights against her fellow Floor Guardian, her natural loyalty to Nazarick, and the orders of Mörderin clashing with her loyalty to her Uncle.

As she stands insensate, Demiurge grunts as his fingers extend to blades and clash with Tirdak's axe, the Demon grunting as he is pushed back, trying to keep his Lord inside the cage of fire as Tirdak's vision starts to come back ever so slightly, though the massive amount of light from the flames around him stings his eyes even more.

"C'mon you, bastards, you managed it once, you can do it again," he says as he focuses upon the souls bound to him.

Demiurge, with a lunge, goes for Tirdak's axe, thinking to pry it from his Lord's hands. Just as he reaches his target, Tir turns into mist and shoots upwards. The mist passes through the demon, an unnatural cold seeping over him. It maneuvers over the flame wall and lands on the other side. Only red eyes are visible from the tall mist pillar for but a second before Tir's body reforms and he begins his sprint anew.

Demiurge curses and ceases to flow of mana to his wall of fire, flapping his wings as he attempts to pursue Tirdak, only to find he is slowly but surely falling behind.

"_Demiurge, is Tirdak near you?" _Mörderin asks suddenly, surprising the demon.

"_Yes, but he is rushing towards the Tomb and I can't keep up with him, My Lady," _he replies.

A Gate appears just above Demiurge, a white-winged figure speeding out of it and landing into Tirdak's back, sending the beast-man crashing to the ground with an enraged roar.

Mörderin flaps her wings to escape the dust cloud created by Tirdak's falling, looking down as Demiurge flies up to her, inspecting the curious dress she is wearing.

"My Lady," he calls as he levels off next to her. "Did you manage to test it, will you be able to bring Lord Tirdak out of his unstable state?"

"I don't know," she states, making the Demons heart nearly stop. "I couldn't test it on anyone, so I presume it doesn't have the power to control more than one person at a time. I'll just have to check on Tirdak."

"Ever the annoying cunt, aren't ya Mörderin," Tir's voice sounds from below as the dust cloud settles. "That same fucking ego, high as a mountain, just like the rest of them."

"I suppose you can say that," she says quietly.

Tir grunts as he begins to create multiple magic circles.

"Spirit Shield! Enhanced Passive Spirit Protection!" He calls out, two circles glowing with a bright white light as they float onto Tir's armor. "You know I have been trying to experiment with my souls since we got here, but until now I never had a use or reason to try this one spell out. And trust me Mör, for a Spirit Shaman I don't only have buffs and debuffs." Tir looks up at her as five circles spin around each other so fast that there is only a blur left. "Summon Spirit! Waywatcher of the Woods!"

Suddenly a form storms forth from the blurry mess of spinning magic circles. It is a tall and slender figure. Though mostly incorporeal, the greenish armor made from wood and cloth is not easily mistaken. A hood and bandana cover most of the head and face, and only one black eye is visible as the other is covered by white hair.

Tirdak does not even order the spirit before it runs into the nearby brush, vanishing from sight.

"Is it possible it realizes he's not himself?" Mör wonders, a spark of curiosity breaching her mind, before half a dozen arrows streak from the brush, headed directly towards her. She glances over and gives a large flap of her wings, easily avoiding the hail as she ascends and the force of her flap throws them off course. She stares at the spiraling twigs in surprise. "Huh. I didn't know I could do that."

Mör shakes her head and spreads her arms, the dragon on the dress she wears glowing a bright golden before it dies out.

"You still feel like fighting Tir?" She asks before she has to avoid more arrows. "Message received." She furrows her brow before leveling a hand at Tir, the dragon once again glowing. "Stop."

A moment later, every motion vanishes from the beastman, even the slight movement for breathing ceases. Mörderin sighs, before preparing to use her newfound World Item once again.

* * *

Momonga looks over the unconscious forms of the people who'd captured Tirdak from his throne, as well as the corpse of the one who had put him under her control, feeling no small amount of satisfaction and rage. The Guardians line the sides of the carpet approaching the steps of the throne, most of them casting glares towards the people on the ground, Shalltear nearly frothing at the mouth in fury.

A few moments later, a Gate opens, with Mörderin walking through with her head held low, followed fairly swiftly by Demiurge, Albedo, Tirdak who is holding his head, and following him, a ghost.

"Tirdak, are you alright?" Momonga asks from his throne as Mörderin slowly ascends the stairs to stand next to the throne.

"Mmmm, yeah I'm alright. My head is pounding a little but other than that I am fine," Tir responds as he sits on the stairs. The Guardians stir slightly, many of them casting glares towards the forms on the ground. Sebas walks over to his Lord, offering a cold towel to the hulking Beastman.

"Mörderin, is he out from under the effects of Downfall of Castle and Country?" Momonga asks, looking at the Angel next to him.

Tir turns around to face his friends as he takes the towel from Sebas and places it on his head before asking, "Who out from what now?"

"No, I failed at that," Mör replies simply, Demiurge's tail lashing behind him as Mörderin speaks. "The World Item doesn't appear to be able to release its own control. That said, their commander did mention that they were here for the Summoning Crystal I got from the people who attacked Carne Village. They might have been from the Slaine Theocracy, but I can't be sure that they aren't from a rival nation yet."

"I see. That is quite unfortunate," Momonga murmurs, gripping the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown tighter as he looks over the beheaded form of the woman who placed his ally under control.

"So anyone wanna fill me in as to what happened? Cuz for some reason I can't recall anything from the past… however long it's been since I went on a walk after we sent Sei after Mör," Tir says.

For a moment nobody answers.

"Demiurge, fill him in," Mörderin says with a sigh.

"Of course, My Lady," Demiurge replies. "Well, since the time that Lady Mörderin left you in the graveyard, barely more than two hours have passed, in which time the vermin you see here on the ground placed your mind under the control of the World Item, 'Downfall of Castle and Country' due to Seikatsu's negligence in her duty to protect you. Lady Mörderin led an attack in order to set you free of their control, and has since managed to at least free you from their commands." Demiurge pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose as Tirdak blinks a few times, slowly processing the information before Mörderin speaks up.

"But you are still under the control of this World Item," she says with another long sigh, gesturing to her dress. "Your headache may well be a result of the spirits in your head trying to fight that which is designed to be unbeatable. If that is the case, it's probably not going to go away."

Tir sits and thinks on the words his allies had just told him for a solid minute, before he turns to the ghost that was standing near him and asks, "You wanna tell me how the fuck you're here?"

The ghost looks at Tir and begins to gesture with its hands as if to communicate, yet no words, apart from the faintest sound of wind, come out of it.

"Huh, so it did work… but why did I summon you then?" Tir says. The ghost begins to gesture once more, this time pointing at Mörderin and then at one of the humans at the base of the stairs. "Ah I see, so he… oh, wait, the granny did it?... did they make me do anything?... so I didn't… ok that's good, is that why the… yeah, so it is them… well, go tell em to stop." Tir converses with the spirit before he snaps his fingers and it vanishes. "Hope they listen."

"Tirdak, What was that?" Momonga asks, broken from his anger for a moment, even as Aura and Mare try to hold Shalltear back from the unconscious bodies on the ground.

"Oh, that's just a spirit. A wood elf waywatcher if I remember correctly. Pretty good with a bow that one. She does lack a bit in the magical department though," Tir explains.

"I see," Momonga muses, about to ask further questions when one of the people on the ground groans and tries to push himself up.

The room falls silent as every Guardian turns their gaze to the Captain, whose once pristine armor is littered with gashes and holes as he tries to stand, only for Shalltear to move over and plant a foot on his back, slamming him back down to the floor.

"A pathetic human like you dares to raise his head in the same room as the Supreme Beings? Know your place you filth!" She screeches, bloodlust filling the room as the Captain very nearly passes out from the fear she inspires.

"Shalltear, that's enough," Momonga orders, the Vampire looking at the Overlord incredulously.

"But, Lord Momonga-!"

"Shalltear, I said that's enough," he reiterates firmly. The Guardian lowers her head and steps back.

"You there, on the floor. What is your name?" Momonga demands, activating his Despair Aura V. The Captain looks up in shock at the undead on the throne.

"I-I don't answer to any undead!" He manages to snap off, every NPC in the room looking as though they want to carve out his tongue.

"Is that so?" Momonga comments. "Very well, I suppose it doesn't matter if you speak to us or not. You're from the Slaine Theocracy, are you not?" The man merely glares at Momonga, sweat dripping down his scalp.

"Demiurge, make him answer," Mörderin orders after a few moments of silence.

"Answer our Lord, human," Demiurge urges, his voice carrying the command straight to the Captain's unconscious.

"Yes," he growls out, despite his efforts.

"Good. You were here for the Summoning Crystal that Mörderin here obtained, were you not?" He asks, drawing the man's gaze towards the Angel beside him.

"Yes," he says between clenched teeth.

"One final question, why did you use this World Item on our guildmate?" Momonga asks, glare intensifying.

"I believed it was the most assured option for success, especially after how the two of them managed to cripple the slave markets in E-Rantel," the man replies.

"Did you ever intend to release him from your control, and if so, how?" Momonga demands, the temperature dropping several degrees as the weight of the Guardians rage bears down on the man, who very nearly passes out.

"Yes. The Downfall of Castle and Country is too useful to waste on one man. We intended to kill him in order to relieve the mind control and then resurrect him if Mer was willing to help us convince him to work with us," the man says, the anger in the air turning to hate in an instant, with Shalltear very nearly launching herself at the cretin.

"I see," Momonga says coldly. "Very well then. Tirdak. You are the one who has suffered the most here. What would you like to do with these people?"

"Eeeh, just let me deal with that one," Tir says pointing at the Captain. "You guys do what you will with the others."

"Very well," Momonga says, a dark-winged angel appearing from the shadows in order to knock the Captain unconscious and drag him out of the throne room. Momonga deactivates his Aura before standing, drawing the gazes of the Guardians, even as Sebas passes another towel to Tirdak. "Demiurge, I want you to resurrect the old woman and see if she knows of any way to end the control that her World Item inspires. As for the rest of them, do what you think is most fitting." Demiurge gives a long bow.

"But of course my lord," he replies with a sadistic grin, before frowning. "However, what about Seikatsu and Albedo?" The three friends glance between each other, before looking back at Demiurge. "Seikatsu was designed to be able to defend all the Supreme Beings from any harm and failed miserably on the part of Lord Tirdak. Furthermore, when Lady Mörderin created a plan to save him, Albedo was unwilling to play her part, and it could have led to disaster if she hadn't already accounted for the Overseer's actions." Mör blinks, as she hadn't thought Albedo would freeze, but rather that she'd be too slow to stop Tirdak alone. "Their failures must be punished, My Lords, so I must ask what shall their punishments be?"

"There will be no punishment for them as far as I am concerned. Seikatsu was sent after her mother and you have no idea how glad I am that Albedo didn't actually try and stop me," Tirdak says. "What if I hurt her? Badly? Hell, what if I hurt anyone who had come to 'stop' me."

"Then they would have been hurt or killed in order to save you, My Lord," Demiurge counters coolly. "There is not a single member of Nazarick even approaching the worth of a Supreme Being, and she should have been overjoyed to lay down her life if it meant saving you, perhaps more than most of us." He glances at Seikatsu, who stands stoically in the corner. "And Seikatsu failed at her very function. She was designed to function as protection for every Supreme Being and couldn't manage to protect the three of you. Neither of them should be excused, Lord Tirdak."

"Do not make me repeat myself Demiurge," Tir says standing up. "Momo, Mör, you guys deal with this, I am gonna go rest. And someone put that spear-wielding, honorless, son of a whore in a cell or something, but don't harm him, I have an idea for tomorrow." With that Tir vanishes.

"My Lord, My Lady," Demiurge begins.

"Enough, Demiurge," Mörderin says, raising a hand. "Shalltear." The Vampire perks up. "Take the other members of this group except for the one with the scythe. Distribute them amongst your subordinates and have them turned into ghouls, and extract whatever information you can about their roles in their society and what they know."

"Gleefully, My Lady," Shalltear replies, grin nearly splitting her face as she opens a Gate behind her walking through and then back with several Vampire Brides, who move to pick up the unconscious soldiers.

"Lupusregina, take the elf to the cells on the ninth floor," she proceeds to order, the red-headed maid stepping forward with a grin. "See to her needs, and make sure she's comfortable enough. She has some potential." The maid gives a playful salute before grabbing the twin colored girl's leg and unceremoniously dragging her off. After a few moments, all the members of the Black Scripture are gone, Sebas having taken the Captain out after Tirdak left. Mör glances at both Albedo and Seikatsu before leaning close to Momonga.

"We probably should deliver some form of punishment to them, Momonga," Mörderin mutters quietly with a heavy sigh, the skeleton looking at her with some surprise as the others in the room are left out of the conversation. "Even if we say we forgive them, I don't think they'll forgive themselves or each other. Some form of punishment might be best for their sakes." Momonga stares at the Angel for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, Demiurge," the Overlord states as Mörderin stands straight. "We agree that both Seikatsu and Albedo should receive punishment for their failures. As such, I shall leave the decision of what their punishments will be to Mörderin. Know that her decision has my full support." With that, Momonga stands, nodding at Mörderin before vanishing to his office.

The Guardians and Pleiades look at Mörderin for a moment, who looks at the floor as she thinks about what punishments might be appropriate.

_Failure to maintain one's composure despite the necessity of their role is unacceptable. She nearly got Alloralla killed and very well could have gotten Tirdak killed,_ Mör thinks. _And Albedo, while not nearly as severe, did disobey orders. I suppose that's hardly worth mentioning seeing as I had also sent Demiurge, but might as well. _

"Seikatsu," she class loudly, looking over at her creation, who stands with a blank face if an extremely telling posture. "You're being stripped of your ranks and privileges. Until I decide otherwise you are to serve under Yuri Alpha as a maid of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Your summons will report to Demiurge rather than you and all of the networks and information are to be transferred to him immediately. You are not to interact with me, Tirdak, or Momonga unless we approach you until I deem enough time has passed. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother," the angel replies morosely, bowing respectfully.

"Albedo," Mör continues. "You are too integral to Nazaricks infrastructure to be given a punishment nearly as severe, however for the duration of the next two months, you are not to interact or even look at me, Tirdak, or Momonga unless it is strictly necessary for the security or ongoings of Nazarick. Understood?"

"Yes, Lady Mörderin," Albedo says with a genial bow and smile.

"Now go and resume your duties, all of you. I'm going outside," Mörderin says before she transports herself to the entrance of Nazarick, extending her wings and immediately ascending before anyone can pursue her.

Back inside the tomb, Tir sits down on his bed with a huff. His headache had stopped a short while after he'd returned to his room.

_Guess she got 'em to stop, good,_ Tir thinks to himself.

While he didn't remember what happened after that massive attack on his mind while he was talking to the human, the Waywatcher spirit had given him enough detail to know what had happened.

_Getting mind-controlled by a granny in a fucking dress, how pathetic can I become?_ Tir thinks. He then opens a white portal to his inventory and pulls out a large black bottle. _What even is this world?_ He opens the bottle. The strong smell of alcohol hitting him in the nose.

"I don't know if I should cry or celebrate," he says and takes a huge swing from the bottle. "Holy shit this is sweet. And here I thought it's gonna be like vodka." He comments, trying to distract himself from the events of the last few days. A quiet knock comes from his door, grabbing his attention. "Come in." He sighs as he takes another swig.

A moment later, he sees a diminutive maid looking up at him, her green camouflage scarf pulled up over her mouth.

"Hello Shizu," Tir smiles a little and pats the maid on the head, making her perk up slightly. "How can I help?"

"You're sad," she says simply.

"Mmmm, a little," Tir admits.

"Why?"

"Many reasons you need not concern yourself with. I'll be fine," he says.

"Nn," Shizu replies, before moving to stand by the wall near the head of Tirdak's bed.

Tir finishes the bottle and puts it on the floor before laying down on his bed.

"Wake me up in eight hours Shizu," he says, closing his eyes.

"Of course, My Lord," she replies stoically.

* * *

Momonga sighs as he sinks into the mattress of his bed, feeling more exhausted than he had since arriving in the New World.

_I can't believe I was so careless as to not even consider the existence of other World Items,_ he chastises himself. _It's ridiculous to think we're the only things from YGGDRASIL. I'll have to get Mörderin and Tirdak their own World Item's in order to preempt any other problems we might have. _

Not for the first time, he wishes he still had the ability to sleep as he thinks over the new tasks he finds he needs to do.

* * *

**AN: **_Hope you lot enjoyed this one, it was great fun writing that fight scene, plus the backstory for our protagonists. There is of course more on the way in terms of backstory_(I wonder if I went overboard with Mör…. eh.-L38)_, which I at least am excited about, and maybe a bit more spicy stuffs (not that ya animal, get your mind outta the gutter!). Thanks for waiting on Lambda and me to remember that, yes, we do have to update this shit. If you have any criticism and/or comment, leave a review, they are always helpful (unless it's about a 'Jojo reference', no idea what the fuck that was about.) See ya! - RadiTheCrusader._


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